( 



^■xP 



LETTERS 



FROM THE FRONTIERS. 



WRITTEN DURING A PERIOD OF THIRTY YEARS SERVICE 
IN THE ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



BY 

MAJOR GENERAL GEORGE A. M^CALL, 

LATE COMMANDER OF TOE PENNSYLVANIA RESERVE CORPS. 





/ 



' PHILADELPHIA: 
J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 

1868. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern 
District of Pennsylvania. 



LI PPI NCOTT'S PRESS, 
PHILADELPHIA. 






'^'^ J\<^ 



INTJIODUCTION 



The following Letters, jDublished in compliance with the 
expressed desire of those valued friends for whose eyes alone 
they were originally intended, are taken, chiefly, either from 
copies retained by the writer at the time, or from the origi- 
nals which have recently been placed in his hands by those to 
whom they were addressed. Many of them, embracing per- 
haps the longest and those written with most care, have been 
copied verbatim under his ow^n eye. Some have been docked 
of their redundance, trimmed into shape, and redressed so 
far as was requisite in preparing for the press letters written 
G'urrente calamo, and comprising subjects of various descrip- 
tions, as well personal as of a general character. Others may 
be said to have been re-written, always, however, preserving 
strictly the outline and main features of the subject, and the 
facts and incidents by which it was sought to be illustrated. 
One or two were written for publication, and appeared in the 
journals of the day ; they are here introduced unaltered. 
Many are mere extracts. Two or three incidents only are 
related which did not pass under the writer's own eye ; these 
were communicated directly by officers or- character, who 
were themselves eye-witnesses, and they are so noticed where 
introduced. IS^othing has been exaggerated, nor is there 



iv INTRODUCTION. 

much that is even highly colored. The reader may therefore 
rely upon the Letters, taken collectively, as a fair and just 
delineation of the peoples, the countries, the incidents and 
adventures into which the writer was led in the course of a 
long military service. They commenced with the commence- 
ment of his military career ; for a few weeks only had passed 
from the day on which he was graduated at the Military 
Academy at West Point, — while in the full enjoyment of 
emancipation from the rigid though wholesome discipline of 
a military school, and proud of the elevation from a Cadetship 
to a Lieutenancy, — when he received orders to join a detachment 
of one hundred and twenty recruits destined for his regiment, 
and a company of the 2d Artillery stationed at Pensacola. 
Here he encountered and mingled with a people strangely 
differing in manners and habits from those of his native 
State ; but who nevertheless possessed traits of amiability 
and gentleness in the women, and a love of pleasure in the 
men, which rendered them commonly unobtrusive, but some- 
times fiery and vehement where they thought their rights 
were invaded. 

Plere, and at other military posts in Florida, he passed 
several years ; at times amid the wild scenery of that coun- 
try whose climate, in mildness and salubrity, yields to that 
of no other portion of our national domain ; a land where 
the atmosphere is so pure and bright that the mere sense of 
existence is absolutely a physical as well as a moral pleasure, 
not appreciable by one who has not experienced it. Here he 
rode through her silent woods, and sat by her magnificent 
springs, at an age when impressions are readily received, but 
firmly stamped upon the mind and feelings. It was such 
scenes, and the feelings with which they were associated, that 
he endeavored to sketch in the language of one for whom 



INTRODUCTION. v 

" Nature in her wildest hour of infancy " has always pos- 
sessed unrivalled charms. His service in the course of 
years carried him over the whole of the southern and west- 
ern territory to the Kocky Mountains ; and these Letters are 
his efforts to portray the accidents by flood and field, " all of 
which he saw, and part of which he was ; " and they are sub- 
mitted, with their original imperfections scarcely amended, 
to the clemency of the reader. 

Belair, November, 1867. 



CONTENTS, 



LETTER I.- 

IL- 

IIL- 

IV.- 

V.- 

VI.- 

VII.- 

VIII.- 

IX.- 

X.- 

XI.- 

XII.- 

XIII.- 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 



XX. 
XXI. 

XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 

XXVI, 

XXVII, 

XXVIII. 



PAQB 

-Voyage and Arrival at Pensacola .... 1 
-Joins his Regiment ...... 12 

-The Patgo 20 

-A Deer Hunt 31 

-The Bouquet Ball 44 

-Incident at an Indian Hunting Camp , . 53 

-Revisit the same with Captain Bell . . .63 

-Bal Masqu^ 66 

-Amateur Theatricals 77 

-The Diversions of the Carnival terminate . . 83 
-History of the Cuban Pirate . . . .85 

— do. do. Continued . . 103 

— do. do. Continued . . . 106 

—The Charivari 108 

— Supper at Surgeon Coburn's . . . .119 

—History of the Cuban Pirate Concluded . . 123 

—Ordered to Tampa Bay 127 

— Arrive at the Mouth of Hillsborough River 

head of the Bay of the same Name . 
— The Mirage. — General Scott supposed 

coming up the Bay with a Fleet of Five 

Vessels 

— The Burned Chief and his Family 

— March to the Seminole Agency, and Visit to the 

Silver Spring ...... 

— The Inauguration of Tucoseemathla (Ant Chief) 

as Principal Chief of the Seminole Nation . 
— Dull Life at the Agency ..... 
— Return March to Fort Brooke .... 
,— Gopher John.— Death of Old Rock 
, — Feat in Horsemanship ..... 
. — Set out on a Hunting and Fishing Expedition 

to Anclote Keys with Colonel Brooke 

— Same Continued 174 

vii 



at the 

be 
Small 



128 



133 
138 

145 

152 
157 
160 
163 
166 

169 



i CONTENTS. 

LETTER PAGH 

XXIX.— Same ConcludQd 183 

XXX. — Opening a Military Road to Alachua. — Visit to 

Orange Lake. — Singular Aquatic Plant . . 185 
XXXI. — Return to Fort Brooke. — Organization of the 

Alligator; Its Habits 199 

XXXII. — The Indian's Knowledge of Astronomy and Me- 
teorology . 207 

XXXIII. — The Rattlesnake and the Scorpion. — Effect of 
Climate on the Common American Deer. — 

Tornado 216 

XXXIV. — General Gaines to Lieutenant McCall, appoint- 
ing him Aide-de-Camp and Assistant Adju- 
tant-General 223 

XXXV. — General Gaines repairs to Rock Island . . 227 
XXXVI.— Sac and Fox Indians.— Black Hawk . . .237 
XXXVII.— Same Continued.— Council .... 240 
XXXVIII.— Arrival of Governor Reynolds, of Illinois, &c. . 241 
XXXIX. — Treaty Signed Confirming the Cession of their 
Lands east of the Mississippi. — The General 
goes on a Tour to the South .... 242 
XL., XLI. — Aide-de-Camp McCall to General Gaines . . 243 
XLII. — do. do. do. do. Meeting 

of Major Biddle and Major Pettis . . . 244 
XLIIL— Aide-de-Camp McCall to General Gaines . 247 

XLIV.— Same to Same 248 

XLV. — General Gaines to Aide-de-Camp McCall. — 

Changes his Headquarters to Memphis . . 249 
XLVI.— G. A. McCall to B., late Judge-Advocate Western 

Department 250 

XLVIL— G. A. McCall to John C. McCall, Philadelphia. 

Scene at Memphis . . . . . . 252 

XLVIII.— General Gaines to Aide-de-Camp McCall . . 258 

XLIX.— G. A. McCall to M 258 

L. — do. to John C. McCall. — Grouse's Dis- 

tinguished Services ...... 260 

LI. — General Gaines to Aide-de-Camp McCall . . 261 
LII.— G. A. McCall to M.— Character of Horse Red- 
bird 262 

LIII.— General Gaines to Aide-de-Camp McCall . . 262 

LIV.— History of a Wild Goose 267 

LV.— General Gaines to G. A. McCall . . ,268 

LVL— Pursuit of a Stolen Horse.— Recovery of the 

Horse 269 



CONTENTS. 



IX 



LETTER PAGB 

LVII. — General Gaines to Aide-de-Camp McCall . . 272 

LVIII. — Ride with General Gaines to Com-tland, Alabama 273 

LIX. — Grouse Shooting in Arkansas .... 278 

LX. — General Gaines to Aide-de-Camp McCall . . 288 
LXI. — Adventure on Bridge over the Bayou Guyoso . 288 
LXII. — News Received of the Massacre of Major Dade's 

.Command by Seminole Indians . . . 293 
LXIII.— Arrive at Tampa Bay, Florida .... 294 

LXIV. — General Gaines leaves Florida for the Texas 

Frontier ........ 295 

LXV. — Account of the Battle of San Jacinto . . 296 
LXVI. — Particulars of the Account of Dade's Massacre . 299 
LXVII. — Particular Account of General Gaines' Campaign 

in Florida 316 

Note to the Reader. — Court of Inquiry at Fred- 
erick, Maryland. — Recruiting Service in Phil- 
adelphia. — Adventures with Setter-Dog " Sport" 332 
LXVIII. — Regiment marches from Fort Cass to North 
Carolina Mountains, with Orders to Capture 
and Execute Indian Murderers, and march 
by steam to Fort Gibson ..... 347 
LXIX. — Account of Campaign in Big Cypress Swamp, 

Florida 380 

LXX. — Same Continued 385 

LXXL— Same Continued 391 

LXXII.— Same Concluded 394 

LXXIII.—Halleck.— Gopher John's Dog .... 398 
LXXIV.— Halleck, &c., &c. . . . . . 401 

LXXV.— Capture of Halleck's Band 404 

LXXVI.— Halleck called into Council, &c., &c. . . 407 

LXXVII. — Th^ War Closed by Proclamation.— Sam Jones . 411 
LXXVIII.— The 4th Regiment leaves Florida.— Arrives at 

Jefierson Barracks . . . . .414 

LXXIX. — Hunting Scenes at Fort Scott, Cherokee 

Country 416 

LXXX. — A Deer (a three year old buck) killed with the 

Hunting-Knife 427 

LXXXI. — General Taylor at Corpus Christi. — Description 

of ''Northers:' 429 

LXXXII. — Wild Horses brought in by Mexicans, and broken 

to Harness by the Army Teamsters . . . 438 

LXXXIII.— General Taylor's Army on the Rio Grande oppo- 
site Matauiuras ....... 441 



CONTENTS. 

LETTER TAaB ' 

LXXXIV. — Position of our Army and that of the Mexicans . 443 ji 

LXXXV. — Mexicans open their Batteries on Fort Brown ' 

opposite Matainoras ..... 446 
LXXXVI. — Description of the Battles of Palo Alto and \ 

Resaca de la Palma 449 

LXXXVII.— Still at Matamoras 458 

LXXXVIIL— Arrive at Camargo 459 

LXXXIX. — News reaches there of the Battle of Monterey . 460 
XC. — Visited at his Office by a Captain of Cavalry . 462 
XCI. — Visits Monterey. — Wonderful View in the Sierra 

Madre 468 

XCIL— Letter from Major Bliss 471 

XCIII.— Off Vera Cruz 475 

XCIV. — Investment of the Town Commenced . . . 478 
XCV. — Commander of the Town Summoned. — Bom- 
bardment Commences ..... 480 
XCVI.— Ordered to Santa Fe, New Mexico ... 485 

XCVII.— The Journey 490 

XCVIII.— The Climate 492 

XCIX.— The Climate, &c. 493 

C. — Report to the Secretary of War . . . 495 -% 

CI.— Letter from Colonel Bliss 523 

CII. — Colonel McCall is Commissioned Inspector- 
General by President Taylor .... 523 
cm. — Report to Adjutant-General at Washington . 525 

CIV. — Colonel McCall Resigns his Commission . . 526 1 

CV. — Letter from Aide-de-Camp of Major-General Scott 526 \ 



LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS. 



Cantonment Clinch, November i, 1822. 

My dear H : We arrived (with recruits for the 

4th Regiment of Infantry and a company of artillery) in 
the harbor of Pensacola on the 28th ult., after a voyage 
of fifteen days from Philadelphia, in the brig William 
Henry. The weather was what a sailor, I suppose, would 
call favorable ; for though we had some stiff breezes, they 
were from the right quarter, and allowed our vessel to 
keep her course ; but the passage to a novice in sea-service 
was rather too rough to be agreeable, and I suffered from 
sea-sickness for the first week, in common with some ladies 
and gentlemen of New Orleans, who had taken berths in the 
fine brig. The only occurrence worthy of note was in pass- 
ing through the northeast channel of the Bahama Islands. 
In the night the current had carried us to the southward of 
the channel. Fortunately the captain was on deck ; he put 
the helm hard down and let go the anchor, when the brig 
swung round and lay in good water not a stone's throw 
from the island of New Providence. This happened just 
before day, and not a word was said to any of the passen- 
gers ; so that when I went on deck, I was not a little sur- 
prised to find myself in still water and alongside of land. 
By eight o'clock we discovered a large sail-boat coming 
round a point of the island about a mile distant. This 

11 



12 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

was soon followed by another and another, until at last 
we counted no less than thirty-two sail or oar boats 
steering for our vessel. As several piracies had been 
committed in these waters within a few months, Captain 
Sands, who was in command of the recruits, thought it 
prudent to arm a few of the men. Accordingly a box of 
muskets and one of ball cartridges were opened and issued. 
The men, with the exception of the squad that had been 
armed, were ordered below, and the latter were concealed 
behind the gunwale. The leading boat was an eight- 
oared barge, with nine as ill-looking fellows on board 
as you might wish to see. When within twenty or 
thirty feet of the side of the brig, they were ordered to 
come- to, and the armed men rose. At this there was 
some alarm manifest among the wreckers from the town 
of Nassau, for such they proved to be, and they formed in 
line off our side. The cockswain of the eight-oared barge 
wished to come on board and pilot the brig out; but one 
of the men in another boat called out, " Don't trust him!" 
Much disappointment, hereupon, was expressed, either 
openly or covertly, on finding that we were not aground. 
And although several offers were made to pilot us out, 
the Captain wisely declined them ; and a breeze springing 
up at the time, he got under weigh and brought us safely 
through the channel. 



Cantonment Clinch, November 8, 1822. 

My dear H : A week has rolled quietly and 

pleasantly by, since I informed you of my arrival at 
Pensacola. The first thing that greeted my raw, unprac- 
tised eye, within a few yards of the landing, at the foot 
of Palafox Street, was the corpse of a man who had died 
of the yellow fever, laid out in front of the open window 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 13 

of the first floor of a house fronting on this street. Here 
was proof sufficient of the truth of tlie report we heard 
• before leaving Philadelphia, that " YcIIoiv Jack " had 
already, in August, made his appearance in these wa- 
ters ; first at the village of Barrancas, in front of which 
a schooner from Boston with a cargo of codfish had 
anchored to examine a leak, and finding her entire cargo 
spoiled, had thrown it overboard in shoal water and pro- 
ceeded on her voyage to New Orleans without saying as 
much as " with your leave, or by your IcaveJ^ The conse- 
quence was, the breaking out of the fever in the village; 
next in the garrison of the Fort, and at last in the town 
of Pensacola itself, where it raged with great fury, driving 
the regiment away to the Bayou, two miles to the west- 
ward. Here I found the regiment in two battalions, in 
sheds about a quarter of a mile apart, and the greater part 
of the men on ^' daily duty/' cutting logs and " riving 
claj)boards '^ for new barracks, to be erected at the head- 
waters of this bayou or inlet. The name of the Post is 
to be " Cantonment Clinch/' in honor of our distinguished 
and highly respected Colonel. I have been assigned to 
company (C), at present commanded by 1st Lieut. Jos. B. 
Shaw, a most amiable gentleman, and I have no doubt a 
true soldier, although we have absolutely no military 
duty to perform, — all our men being on the details in 
the woods. Tlie consequence is, that the officers, with 
the exception of two or three wlio have charge of the 
working parties, are gentlemen of leisure ; cards, hunting, 
or making love to the pretty Creoles of the town, being 
their almost sole occupation. My penchant has led me 
to join the hunters ; though I have time also to culti- 
vate the acquaintance of " les belles demoiselles " of Pensa- 
cola; and I have ample opportunity to see daily, and 
study hourly, the strange commixture of manners and 
habits of these descendants of the Spaniard, the French- 



14 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

man, and the Englishman, who make up the population 
of the town. Florida, as you know, before it came under 
the protection or sovereignty, and the ameliorating influ- 
ence, of the stars and stripes, had successively passed 
under the dominion of Spain, France, and England. 
There is consequently a great diversity, and at the same 
time a strange similarity in the appearance of individuals, 
and their habits and manners, the natural result of a min- 
gling of races ; and although climate has had its effect, in 
many respects, on the original settlers, yet the present 
generation, in a degree more or less striking, bear the 
stamp of ancestral origin and character not to be mis- 
taken. In the Spaniard, it is least perceptible; in the 
French, whose natural conviviality soon assimilates them 
to the people with whom they are associated, it is less ; 
and in the English, more conspicuous. The three lan- 
guages are spoken respectively by the representatives of 
the three nations. But if I except the English, the 
Spanish is probably more spoken in society, and is more 
or less understood by all. The Spanish, French, and 
English having intermarried, their descendants, who are 
termed " Creoles,^^ begin to form something like a distinct 
provincial character; their prominent traits wearing a 
coloring peculiarly their own, the effect of climate, mode 
of life, and other decidedly local causes. Although their 
excessive indolence and aversion to exertion, either phys- 
ical or mental, which is commonly apparent, would lead 
one to the conclusion that they are listless and effeminate, 
yet they are not without a good deal of excitability, and 
frequently I have noticed that their passions are, at the 
same time, sudden, violent, and lasting. 

Their morality, I must confess, is not always of the 
strictest character ; yet they appear to be affectionate and 
friendly in their intercourse with each other ; hospitable 
to strangers, and not unkind to their slaves. They have 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 15 

no love for knowledge; and their habitual indifference to 
everything but pleasure leads them to take little part in 
politics, either national or local. As I have already 
remarked, they have no solicitude in perfecting the facul- 
ties of the mind ; yet they bestow no small care and atten- 
tion in training those of the body, and in improving the 
natural ease and grace of carriage for which the females 
are almost always remarkable. The men have little love 
of glory and less of enterprise. The French Creoles are 
less animated and vivacious than their European ances- 
tors ; the Spanish, while they possess something of the 
gravity of the Spaniard, are without his pride ; and, 
though in disposition rather inclined to be serious, they 
are commonly frivolous and childish in their amusements. 
They are temperate at table, but profligates in love. Their 
persons are well formed, and their features regular, — those 
of the w^omen possess much beauty and are expressive 
of gentleness, if not of cheerfulness. Want is a stranger 
in their simple abodes ; and the turmoil of ambition being 
unknown, they enjoy that negative state of happiness in 
which the moments unheeded pass by with a soft and airy 
tread. Owing to their gentle and easy life, their manners 
assume a mildness, and their speech a softness that are 
peculiarly fascinating. In conversation, their enunciation 
is slow^, but not drawlmg ; in the females particularly, this 
languid mode of utterance, accompanied by the luring 
sweetness of expression natural to their soft, dark eyes, is 
well calculated to wake the tender passion. 

These characteristics of the " Creoles ^' must be under- 
stood as representing the mass of the native-born inhab- 
itants of the town, and not as portraying the wealthy and 
educated class ; which, however, is so small in numbers as 
to make it necessary that w^e should consider them rather 
as individual families, forming exceptions to the general 
character of the population, than as constituting in them- 
selves a distinct class. 



IG LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

The predominant creed is still the Catholic, and the sole 
edifice consecrated to tlie worship of the Deity is a chapel 
of antique stamp and rusty exterior, on the south side of 
the "Plaza/^ as the public square here is called. At this 
shrine the inhabitants of Pensacola of all denominations 
are accustomed to assemble to oifer up their prayers, and 
to receive the godly admonitions and the spiritual consola- 
tion of the venerable Father Pierre. 

On a bright Sabbath morning, standing at the corner 
of the Plaza, it is interesting to watch the motley multi- 
tude of grave and gay, aged and young, wending their 
way towards the house of worship. There is the elderly 
Spanish lady, whose thick veil descends in ample folds 
about her person, followed at a respectful distance by the 
neatly-dressed slave, carrying her chair and cushion ; the 
first of these articles being inverted in such a Avay that 
the bottom rests on the gay cotton handkerchief with 
which the girl's head is decorated, and the back descend- 
ing behind, leaves one hand free for salutation, while the 
other clasps the cushion. Then come a group of young 
men, loitering indolently along ; these are followed by an 
old Frenchman, all complaisance, bowing to all he meets. 
Last of all appears the feminine, black-eyed, naive young 
Creole, whose air and carriage are as striking and attractive 
as her dress is simple and modest. 

I mingle with the crowd now gathering from all quar- 
ters, and slowly converging toward the place of worship ; 
with them I enter the building. The lofty, ill-lighted 
dome displays little of architectural symmetry; the rough 
floor of large rugged flag-stones, and the dark walls, alto- 
gether give the place an antiquated and gloomy air. It is 
evidently the product of Spanish art and labor of years 
long passed. 

The service commences. The music of the choir is full 
and harmonious, and as the solemn strains swell upon the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 17 

ear, one cannot but feel that the chant of praise, though 
not embellished by the vigor and efficacy of science, is well 
suited to rouse the soul to a consciousness of its own high 
attributes, and to raise the mind to that elevation of 
thought that fits one for devotion. Who is there that has 
not experienced at such times a feeling of more than usual 
seriousness, without being able to say whence it actually 
comes? — a moment when the heart is opened, and the 
mind is expanded by an unknown, subtile, and incompre- 
hensible agency ; when the veil of self-sufficiency, which 
commonly conceals our imperfections from our own view, 
is removed, sensibility is awakened, and so vividly are we. 
impressed with the lowness and helplessness of our nature, 
that the proud and ambitious spirit, which lately directed 
and governed our selfish course, is softened into a feeling 
of universal benevolence; when we unconsciously sink 
upon our knees and offer up a prayer, the offspring of a 
contrite heart, for forgiveness and guidance hereafter. 

The solemnities proceeded, but my eyes wandered over 
the congregation, and at last I became thoughtful and 
abstracted; Father Pierre's sermon, which was as long 
and lucid as usual, was quite thrown away upon me ; and 
the final service was nearly concluded before I was aroused 
from my reverie of home and friends. However, I moved 
out with the crowd, and, near the door, meeting with Cap- 
tain Hinds, he introduced me to a young Creole with 
whom he was walking. Fernando, or Ferdinand Oreo, is 
the son of a French Creole, a widow, whose husband was 
of Spanish extraction : a man of two-and- twenty summers, 
and of perfect form and feature. His is one of the few 
families of wealth and education, of which I have hitherto 
spoken. 

The day was lovely, and we strolled across the public 
square to the billiard saloon, which we entered. The 
tables were all occupied, and the calls of ^' dos for me," 
2* B 



18 LETTERS FROM TEE FRONTIERS, 

" tres mas,^' i^c, resounded tlirough the rooms, accompanied 
with the click of the balls as the ^^ cannon ^^ was made, or 
the jingle of the little bell when a ball was " held.^' Such 

here, my dear H , is the easy transit from the church 

to the billiard-table. The Captain and Ferdinand took 
possession of the table first released, and commenced their 
game with a perfect nonchalance that would to you have 
been, perhaps, a little surprising. When the " rubber ^^ 
was finished, we were invited by Ferdinand to accom- 
pany him home, with the promise of a glass of light wine 
and a cigar. His house is a large, double frame building, 
with wide piazzas, and looks out upon the calm waters of 
the bay at the foot of Palafox Street. A few minutes' 
Avalk brought us to his door. We found his mother, a 
tall, stately person, and her daughter, a charming girl of 
eighteen, in the parlor. Wine was brought by a pretty 
quadroon girl ; and the silver waiter holding it was placed 
on the table. 

After we had taken wine, our host said, " Now, let me 
oflPer you a cigar, a true specimen, /a^ri'ca de tabacos de 
la vuelta de abajoJ' 

While sitting here, enjoying the fragrance of the tobacco 
from the " lower district/' I noticed upon the table the 
rattle of a large rattlesnake, and taking it into my hand to 
examine it, Ferdinand remarked that he had killed the 
monster a day or two before, just without the limits of the 
town. I expressed a desire to see so formidable a reptile, 
and to hear the sound of his challenge. 

^' It is a startling sound," said Ferdinand; "and I can 
give you some idea of it,'' continued he, taking the rattle. 
He fastened it to a string, and giving it a peculiar, rapid, 
and continuous shake, he produced a whirring sound that 
had indeed a startling eifect. The thrilling challenge had 
scarcely rung through the room, when a pet fa,wn, that 
was lying near the young lady's chair, suddenly sprang to 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 19 

its feet, and, at a single bound, leaped to a considerable 
distance, in a direction opposite to that from which the 
sound had proceeded; then, turning about, the timid 
creature erected its beautiful head and neck, and striking 
violently on the floor with its forefeet, exhibited the 
extreme excitement of mingled fear and rage. 

" My poor E-cho ! " said Carlota, ^' how he has terrified 
you." 

" It is not a pleasing signal to my ear,'^ replied her 
brother; "but mark you the agency of instinct in the 
brute creation there manifested. Your favorite E-cho 
was captured when but a few days' old, and, in all proba- 
bility, I might almost say certainty, never saw a rattle- 
snake, or heard that threatening signal sounded before 
this minute; yet you have seen how instantly nature 
warns her of impending danger. And look, too, how her 
bright eye flashes with anger. I do believe that little E-cho 
is sufficiently roused to do battle with her natural enemy." 

" I have heard," remarked Captain Hinds, " that fierce 
encounters are not unfrequent between the deer and rattle- 
snake." 

" It is a truth that I can vouch for," returned Ferdi- 
nand, " for I once had the fortune to witness the combat. 
I was passing through a dense hummock, when, as I 
reached the edge of an open space, I came suddenly upon 
a full-grown buck, whose attention was so engrossed by 
some object on the ground near him, that he was not 
aware of my approach. I drew up my rifle, but at that 
moment I heard the quick, angry warning of the rattle- 
snake, and at the same instant the deer sprang upwards, 
and drawing all its feet together as it were to a point, 
dashed them fiercely upon the ground, while, before the 
eye could follow the motion, he rebounded to a distance. 
The rattle was repeated, but more faintly ; it was fol- 
lowed by several similar attacks on the part of the deer 



20 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

in quick succession. Then for a moment all was still ; 
and the noble buck, throwing back his head and raising 
his nose to the wind, discovered that he was in the 
presence of another enemy, even more to be dreaded than 
the one he had just conquered. Tossing back his heavy 
antlers, he Avheeled, and bounded majestically into the 
thicket. You will readily conclude that I allowed him to 
depart in peace. On going to the spot where the combat 
had taken place, I found a large rattle-snake stretched 
upon the ground, with his head positively cut and battered 
to pieces." * 

We passed an hour with my new friend, and then re- 
turned to our quarters at the Cantonment 



Pensacola, November 20, 1822. 

My dear H : Since my last letter to you, we 

have had a grand " PatgoJ^ ^' A grand Patgo ! '^ you 
will ask, "and pray, what is a Patgo, great or small?" I 
must tell you : it is an entertainment resembling in some 
measure the old Scottish ^'Popinjay shooting^ It is an 
amusement of ancient origin, and even at the present 
time seems to be held in high esteem at Pensacola. The 
preliminaries are conducted in this way : a few days be- 
fore the entertainment is to take place, the Host, having 
procured the figure of a fine chicken cock, of large size, 
fashioned out of a tough knotty block of wood, through 
which passes vertically an iron rod, whereupon the figure 
lightly whirls about like a weathercock. He sends this 
emblem of the gallant bird, mounted upon a staff, by a 
gayly dressed servant to the houses of the invited fair 
ones ; and each lady presenting a bunch of ribbons or a 

* Some years after the above w^as penned, the writer witnessed, 
near Tampa Bay, a similar combat, fought precisely as above described. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 21 

feather for his toilet, soon his varied honors floating from 
his sides clothe him with a plumage of the brightest 
dyes. 

Not less admired, in his own estimation, is the highly 
costumed negro, who bears aloft his brilliant banner 
through the streets, with the air of a hero leading his 
followers into battle. This amusement, I am told, is not 
by any means so common as it was some years ago, since 
the families of the older inhabitants have become mer2:ed 
into the mass of the American population. On the day 
appointed for the fete, the Patgo or Game Bird, i3 
mounted on a high flag-staff, and the gentlemen who are 
to contend for prizes, are assembled with their lady-loves 
under a spacious arbor erected for the occasion. This is 
at the distance of about sixty yards from the mark, at 
which the gallants are to try their skill with their rifles. 
Whenever a ribbon is cut down, the fortunate marksman 
brings it into the bower, where it is acknowledged as her 
offering by the lady who had placed it on the bird ; the 
gentleman thereupon claims her as his partner for the 
first dance to succeed the final destruction of the Patgo ; 
he is likewise entitled to wear the trophy of his skill at 
his button-hole during the day. 

Having now put you in possession of the main features 
of the Patgo, I will proceed to describe in detail the ad- 
ventures of the day as they passed before my eyes on this 
occasion. 

Mr. De La Pue, a French Creole, the gentleman at whose 
house we were invited to a dejeuner a la fouj^Ghette, and to 
take part in the amusements of the day, is possessed of a 
fine farm some seven miles up the Bay of Pensacola. 
His house, situated on a high bluff overlooking the calm 
waters of the Escambia, the right arm of the former Bay, 
is accessible from Pensacola either by land or by water. 
On the day before that named in the invitation to the 



22 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

officers of the 4th Regiment, I went under the wing of 
old Captain Riddle, a retired officer of the war of 1812, 
to call upon JNIadame La Broche, for the double purpose 
of making the acquaintance of her two daughters and 
offering them seats in my boat to Madame La Rue's ; for 
being without a horse, I had decided on making the trip 
by water; and Lt.-Col. BrookeK3ommanding the post, had 
politely granted my request to be allowed to take his six- 
oared barge for the voyage. We found Madame and her 
daughters Josephine and Isabel at home. The mother 
graciously thanked me for the honor, saying that Isabel, 
the prettiest of the two, had promised to go on horseback 
with Mr. Pinder the Russian Consul, but that Josephine 
and her Aunt (a single lady of a certain age) would be 
happy to accept my offer. I cast my eye at the old Dra- 
goon, as I expressed our gratification, and assurance that 
WE would take good care of the ladies, and saw by the 
curl of his long proboscis that he did not like the qualifi- 
cation of Madame in accepting the invitation ; for Riddle, 
although an old cock, was still a devoted admirer of 
the sex. 

I must now tell you somewhat about the fair one I had 
engaged to take charge of for the day. Her father was a 
Frenchman, her mother of Spanish blood. Josephine, 
the elder, was of about twenty summers; Isabel, about 
eighteen. The former, a fine Spanish brunette : the latter, 
fair as the fairest of Castile's daughters in the time of 
Ferdinand and Isabella: a transparent skin, large soft 
blue eyes, and a profusion of fair hair which hung in close 
clusters about a neck like marble, had won the admiration 
of the consul, as well they might. I was, however, satis- 
fied with my own good fortune, and returned to evening 
parade, anticipating a pleasant voyage on the morrow. 
The morning wished for by many liglit hearts came. The 
Captain and I were abroad long before sunrise ; and es- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 23 

corted the ladies to the beach. There, among half a dozen 
others, was my boat in waiting. I had selected six good 
oarsmen from my company, whose clean white jackets 
and trousers gave them quite a nautical look. A gay 
company was already assembling, and all were being 
merrily stowed away in the boats. Bright Phoebus had 
just risen, and he came bounding over a world of waters, 
peering into more pretty faces than here usually graced 
his rising. We soon, however, got under weigh, and then 
the white canvas awning shielded the fair voyagers from 
his more direct rays, and cast a cool and agreeable shade 
around, softening the glow of both sky and water, and 
promoting that serenity of mind which all those who 
have been much upon the water have experienced under 
similar circumstances. 

I wil] not inflict upon you an account of the anxious 
attempts of my friend the bold Dragoon, who understood 
little of French, and notliing of Spanish, at gallant 
speeches. With regard to myself, thanks to my old 
teacher Claud Berard, at the Military Academy, I made 
out rather better. 

My crew had been well selected ; the boat sprang for- 
ward under the efforts of their well-timed oars and my 
skill at the helm with the spirit of a courser. The oars 
bend at everj vigorous stroke, and soon we take the lead 
of the little fleet. As we advance, large flocks of water- 
fowl rise in dark clouds, with a noise like that of an ap- 
proaching tornado, and wheeling across the bay, seek safer 
retreats in the deep coves of Santa Rosa. Shoals of por- 
poises ride past, sporting in the sunshine on the gentle 
surface of the wave, and all nature seems to partake of 
the spirit of this joyous hour. What a magnificent sheet 
of water ! One would almost imagine that peace and con- 
tentment might forever reign in yon quiet and secluded 
nook ! It is, however, but the home of tlie timid and 



24 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

innocent deer. But cast your eyes to the left as we turn 
that point. Some two miles beyond, you observe a high 
red wallj that seems to rise from the water's edge, increas- 
ing in altitude as you follow it along It looks at this 
distance like a huge terrace, and the live-oaks that crown 
its summit, like a mass of shrubbery. That is the com- 
mencement of " Red BluflP/' upon the highest point of 
which is the mansion of M. De La Rue. As we move 
swiftly and smoothly along and approach nearer and nearer 
to our destination, you may perceive to the right of what 
seems to be a single large bush, a white speck, which even 
at this distance reflects the rays of the sun. That speck 
is the house to which we are bound, and the bush is a 
magnificent grove of live-oaks. At length, as we draw 
more near, we can distinguish many persons on the edge 
of the bluff watching our approach. 

Meanwhile my boat had kept the lead of the little fleet 
with which we left the town ; two other boats, however, 
were close upon us ; and we had scarcely landed on a long 
slip which ran out from tlie beach to deep water, when the 
others arrived ; and together we moved on to the shore. 
A level margin of some thirty yards of yellow or reddish 
sand was to be crossed before we reached the bluflP. And 
there, by winding flights of stairs, we began the ascent of a 
perpendicular gravel-blufp of sixty feet in height. Having 
gained the top, we were met by Monsieur and Madame De 
La Rue with friendly greetings. We accompanied our host 
and hostess to the mansion, where we mingled with those 
of the guests who had already arrived by land. 

The building, though large, was simple. In front was a 
Venetian piazza, extending the whole width of the house. 
The view here was fine. Orange, fig, and pomegranate- 
trees of great size were growing on either side of the 
entrance ; and two gigantic live oaks, the growth of cen- 
turies, cast their shade on the east and west of the build- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 25 

ing, which fronted the water. A grove of the same noble 
trees was at a short distance, on the west of the house; 
while on the east was the garden, where the most exqui- 
site collection of fruits and flowers were mingling their 
beauties and their sweets in soft and delicious harmony. 
The natural broad terrace in front commanded a view of 
the sweeping expanse of water, and the long, low line of 
the opposite shore of Santa Eosa. Altogether, a mon^ 
delightful abode the listless languor of the Creole could 
not have pictured to his fertile imagination. 

When all the guests had arrived, the doors of the break- 
fast-room were thrown open, and the disclosure of a plen- 
tiful and rich repast regaled the senses of the company, on 
whom the frcsli air of morning had not failed to exercise 
its appetizing influence. A joyous hour was passed at the 
breakfast-table; and in the course of anotlier hour the 
sound of a bugle called together the scattered groups, 
some of whom were Avandcring in the garden in cpiest of 
bouquets, Avhile others were strolling under the oak-trees, 
or seated on the terrace in contemplation of the scenery in 
front. This was the signal to repair to the field of action. 
All parties speedily collected at the house; here our host 
a-nd hostess, followed by a large bevy of gallants and belles, 
led the way to the grounds, where a long arbor, composed 
of magnolia-branches, open on the north side, had been 
erected. Here a band of music was playing a martial air ; 
seats were placed for the accommodation of the ladies, 
affording them a view of the Pdtgo, which was already 
elevated on its tall staff, sixty yards in front. 

Immediately in front of the centre of the arbor was a 
little projection, which shaded a post, into the sides of 
which wooden pins had been driven for the purpose of 
aflbrding a " rest'^ to those of the aspirants for distinction 
as marksmen who chose to avail themselves of such 
adventitious aid ; though, to the credit of the hunters of 
3 



26 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Florida, it must be acknowledged that but very few of 
them deigned to ask the aid of a '^rcst/^ — " off-hancV shoot- 
ing being the common practice amongst those whose mar- 
tial tastes led them to prefer the rifle. 

Custom, or the law of the Patgo, requires the "Khig/^ 
as the master of the entertainment is designated, to open 
the game by firing the first shot. M. De La Rue now 
advanced to the "rack'' in which the arms stood, (both 
those brought by visitors, as well as those belonging to 
the house,) and selecting a beautiful, light, silver-mounted 
rifle, his favorite piece, stepped out from the post, and, 
raising it quickly to his shoulder, fired. 

At the crack of the rifle a red ribbon separated itself 
from the side of the bird, which at the moment stood 
facing the company, and floated gracefully to the ground. 
A murmur of approbation was heard, and a little negro boy 
brought the ribbon to his master. Several of the guests 
successively advanced, and in turn, taking their own or 
other rifles from the rack, blazed away at the mark : not a 
ribbon fell. The aim had been too central, and the bul- 
lets were heard plainly to clink upon the hard body of the 
bird. M. De La Hue then came up to me, and, as a compli- 
ment to a stranger, requested me to try my hand. Thus 
prompted, I could not decline the honor. I accordingly 
walked up to the " rack," and, taking from it at hazard a 
rifle, I delivered my fire; a fine, broad party-colored rib- 
bon was launched into the air, and glided smoothly to the 
ground. The little darkey brought it to me, and, as he 
delivered it, our host came smiling forward, congratulated 
me on my skill, and said: "As you are the first of the 
guests that has gained a trophy, you are entitled to salute 
the Queen.'' He accompanied, or rather half led me to 
where his cora sposa was seated. She at once rose, smiled, 
and presented her check, upon which I absolutely impressed 
a kiss before I well knew exactly what I was about; for I 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 27 

had not lieard of the existence of a law of the Patgo so 
stringent, until the moment I was required to comply 
with it. 

I believe, from what I heard afterwards, that I acquitted 
myself with perfect propriety. The lady, after receiving 
the tribute I had paid, still smiling, told me I must now 
find the owner of the ribbon, and claim her for the first 
dance. I had now to go the rounds, with the trophy held 
up in my hand before me, until I came to a demoiselle 
wlio acknowledged it to have been presented by herself. 
I finished by obtaining the promise of her hand for the 
first contra-d(mce ; and having placed the streamer in my 
button-hole. Miss Clara Teresa humorously told me she 
should know me again by my badge. 

Several gallants following in succession, tried their skill, 
with more or less success, when our Surgeon Coburn was 
called upon to display his knowledge of the science of pro- 
jectiles. The doctor is a fussy person of five feet six, 
rather rotund for his perpendicular extension, with a full 
animated face, expressive of high intellectual faculties, 
mingled with good-natured complaisance, and a full 
share of self-approbation. He is withal a general 
fixvorite with the officers of the regiment, as he is not 
without a quaint drollery, which, seasoned Avith a spice 
of wit, gives force to his repartee. The doctor marched, 
head erect, to the stand, and selected with apparent care a 
rifle of great length and weight from a number of different 
sizes. Satisfied with his choice, he faced towards the 
assembly, and bowing, said : " Fair ladies, I rely on this 
good weapon and your favor to do my devow before this 
goodly company ; aid me, then, with a little invocation to 
your favorite saints.^' Having received by acclamation 
the best wishes of the fair ones, expressed in tones of 
approval and general merriment, he placed liis rifle upon 
a pin which his ambition rather than his judgment had 



28 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

induced liim to select. He perceived at once his error, 
but too proud to retract his assumption^ the little gentle- 
man raised himself on tiptoe, and brought into play every 
inch of extension he ^vas master of before he could bring 
the barrel of his piece to bear upon the object. After a 
long and breathless aim, during ^vhich all present partook 
more or less of his anxiety, the rifle's flash was seen, and 
a brioht ribbon that came sailino^ down from the neck of 
the bird was greeted with a shout of approbation that 
concealed some eifort to suppress a smile, and proclaimed 
the success of the gallant surgeon. Several attendants 
ran to secure the silken streamer, which was brought in 
triumph to the stand. M. De La Rue came forw^ard, and 
complimented the doctor on his skill, and conducted him 
to the presence of the assemblage of ladies, where the for- 
tunate possessor of the fine streamer presented his token 
for a claimant. It was at length acknowledged by a 
blooming widow, and the little man's happiness was ^' cm 
comhle " by the possession of her hand for the first dance. 
The youth, who followed the surgeon, cut down his 
ribbon, and Avas made happy by the allotment of a pretty- 
faced damsel as his partner. A young Spaniard now 
came up, and, as he took a rifle in hand, declared his 
intention to bring down the white ostrich plume Avhich 
adorned the head of the bird ; he made a sncq^-shof, and his 
ball struck the cock's bill, within half an inch of the stem 
of the feather. The shock sent the bird whirling round upon 
the iron rod, until, losing its velocity, it stopped directly 
facing the company. The dark brow of the young man was 
contracted, and a shade of disappointment passed over his 
face as he turned from the mark and brought the butt of 
his rifle down with a vigorous arm unintentionally upon 
the toes of one of the black attendants, who acknowledged 
the favor with a cry that resounded through the arbcfr. 
The young Spaniard felt the regards of all present turned 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 29 

upon him, and galled by the scrutiny, moved off haughtily 
into the centre of the crowd. 

Immediately after this, Ferdinand Oreo, who was 
standing in front of a very lovely girl. Rose Vermiel, 
whose favor, it was understood, he had for some time 
assiduously sought, was called to the stand. He bowed, 
as he left his lady-love with a fixedness of purpose on his 
countenance that seemed to indicate the feeling that on his 
coolness and dexterity depended his obtaining for the 
contra-dance the hand of the sweet girl who had given the 
plume. Now, Ferdinand, my friend, hand and eye, nerve 
and temper, must work together!- — no little dexterity is 
necessary to cut the shaft of an ostrich feather at sixty 
yards, and more particularly as the feather now stands with 
its broad face to the front, making the shot more difficult 
owing to the wide surface presented, and the indistinct- 
ness of the stem it was necessary to cut to bring the feather 
to the ground. Choosing a smooth, level spot for his feet, 
he examined the priming, and set the trigger of his piece. 
His right shoulder was thrown a little back, and his straight, 
slender figure and well-rounded limbs showed to advantage 
in the attitude he assumed. He brought the breech of the 
rifle to his shoulder, and the muzzle rose quickly from the 
foot of the flag-staff to the object on its summit ; then, 
without an instant's pause, the red flame burst forth, the 
sharp crack rang through the bower, and the white plume, 
darting up from its resting-place, descended with a quick, 
spiral motion to the ground ; the bullet grazing the comb 
of the warrior-bird, had cut the very thread that bound to 
his head this much-envied ornament. A general shout of 
delight signified the satisfaction of the spectators. The 
son of our hostess, a boy of eight years, darted forward and 
brought the plume. Ferdinand received it hurriedly, and, 
hastening past the admiring eyes of a host of damsels, 
presented his claim wliich was at once acceded to. 



30 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS. 

The sport went on, with more or less mirth and spirit, 
as the aspirants for fame were successful or disappointed 
in obtaining partners to their liking. Indeed, by the 
time each gallant had fired his shot, the naked and bat- 
tered body of the Patgo was all that remained on the staif. 

The object now was to knock down the shapeless block, 
which entitled the one who accomplished this feat to the 
title of '^ King '^ elect, and host of the next Patgo. 

Antonio Collin, the father of two of the loveliest girls 
present, was the aspirant to this dignity. He enlisted a 
number of young men in his cause, and the discharge of 
fire-arms, as the party approached nearer and nearer to the 
mark, became incessant; till, drawing quite close, the fire 
ceased, and Antonio Collin, advancing almost to the foot 
of the staff, by the discharge of a single shot brought the 
mangled object to the earth. Pie was at once declared 
King elect. 

The first act of the Patgo being now ended, the party 
returned to the house. Dinner was now announced ; and 
soon after the party rose from the table, the band on 
the piazza playing a lively air, invited the lovers of the 
dance to lead out their partners. It was not long before 
couple after couple joined in the most easy and graceful of 
all dances. The amusement was kept up with little inter- 
mission until the sun was disappearing below the western 
horizon, when the entertainment terminated with a gen- 
eral waltz. The day of the Patgo was past; the guests 
prepared to depart. Saddle-horses and vehicles of all 
descriptions were soon brought forth. 

Pile boats were manned, and ladies fair, and gallant gen- 
tlemen, took leave of their kind host and his charming wife, 
and turned their faces towards home. The full moon, for 
whose w^elcome approach the day had been selected, rose 
as the sun went down. Not a cloud w^as in the clear 
atmosphere, and as we '^ shoved off^' from the wharf, the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 31 

ladles of several boats united their voices in a Spanish 
chant, which swelled over the water with a soothing soft- 
ness that lent a charm to the hour. 

Song after song enlivened the voyage, and having safely 
landed in front of Pensacola, many expres,sions of the 
pleasures of the day were interchanged with the ladies as 
we left them at home. 



Pensacola, December i, 1822.. 

My dear H : I am mounted at last — and splen- 
didly. I found here a short time past a blooded mare 
from Virginia; she was brought hither through Ten- 
nessee and Alabama by a Mr. Anderson, a gentleman 
who came to look at Florida lands and live-oak tim- 
ber. Kate, as I have christened her, is a dark bay, 
almost a brown, with the most beautiful head, saucily 
set upon a fine neck, which springs proudly from a 
deep and well thrown-back shoulder; a short back, 
fiddle hips, and a clean set of limbs finish the portrait. She 
has a fair share of woman's wilfulness ; but that is amply 
illuminated or adorned by a light pair of heels and great 
powers of endurance. I have ridden her after the hounds 
several times. Last week we had a teasing hunt, and by 
hard riding ran down and killed a fine buck, although 
he crossed the bayou, through swamp and bog, twice. 
This of course threw us out, and compelled us to seek 
crossing-places at some distance — to recover which and 
again come up with the dogs, required hard riding. 

It was a party made up by Captain Bell of the 4th ; a 
gallant fellow, in the prime of early manhood, of a solid 
and strong constitution of body, a fearless rider, devoted 
to the sports of the field, as it were with him '^ the day's 
reflection and the midnight dream;" a man after my own 
heart, being not only a lover of the chase, but an accom- 



32 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS. 

plished gentleman; but I must give you some description 
of the others who composed the party. First, there was 
Lieut. Lewis, a thoughtless, rattle-brained youtli, but a 
good rider; next there was Ferdinand Oreo, to wdiom I 
have already introduced you. He had brought with him 
a person who could not well come under the denomination 
I have used in reference to those I have already named, 
however much he might, from frequent association with 
Ferdinand, have aspired to it. Diego Rojo was in fact a 
person of very questionable standing ; an owner of cattle ; 
and from his knowledge of the woods and woods' craft a 
successful hunter, he was frequently the companion of the 
former, who was himself rather fond of the chase. With 
your humble servant, these composed the party. 

The day appointed for the hunt was an uncommon one 
for the time of year, though not the less w^elcome than 
unexpected. The rarefied and vaporous atmosphere so 
oppressive during the long and sultry summer of a 
southern clime, was cooled and condensed by the first frost 
of the season, which spell-like seemed to exercise its magic 
influence equally, though with contrary effect, on all ani- 
mate and inanimate nature, at once striking the tender 
flower drooping to the earth, and instilling new life and 
viiror to the lang-uid and weakened frame of man. The 
sun was just rising as Ferdinand and his companion rode 
up to Capt. Bell's quarters, where the horses were collected, 
and where breakfast was prepared for the party. 

The duties of the table being despatched, our party 
came forth and found old Jupiter, a French negro, BelFs 
hostler, mounted and in charge of the horses and dogs ; 
his copper-colored face glistening with delight in antici- 
pation of the sport. In a moment Bell was on the back 
of his snow-white mare, a beautiful animal, brought to 
Florida by the gentleman wdio brought also my mare 
" Kate ; " indeed the two animals are half-sisters. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 33 

^^ Fancy ^^ is in truth j^erfect — as gentle and docile, as 
delicate and beautiful, she wheeled with graceful motion 
and springy tread at the slightest touch of the single 
snaffle rein; her saddle was light and simple, neither 
covering up nor reaching to the fine loin and haunch which 
distin2:uish the hig-h-bred courser from the cold-blooded 
drudge. Lieut. Lewis rode a strong roan horse of great 
bone, and with a bob-tail ; as he mounted he said laughing, 
^^ He that rides with me to-day may look for rough riding.'^ 
Ferdinand was well mounted on a heavy bay. As I have 
already described to you my own gay Kate, it only 
remains to give you a pencil sketch of Diego and his 
steed to complete the picture of the goodly group. This 
man was a thin, shrivelled Spaniard of medium height ; 
his sallow visage was neatly garnished with a slight jet- 
black moustache that curled upwards on either side of his 
hooked nose; his eyes were small, black and sunken, and 
at times shot out a gleam of fire that roused an involun- 
tary feeling of dislike or aversion in the person upon 
whom they were suddenly darted and instantly withdrawn, 
— eyes that were constantly in motion and restless as the 
caged hyena^s. 

So incessant a smoker was he that his lips were seldom 
without the paper cigarretto, from which one would have 
been led to imagine he derived his only sustenance from 
the noxious weed, had not the dried-up and bloodless 
appearance of his face and limbs proclaimed the contrary. 
He looked, in fact, to be as thoroughly and essentially 
smoke-dried as a red herring, and not altogether unlike 
one in appearance. Unsocial in temper, he passed much 
of his time, when not upon a fisliing expedition, at home 
with the quadroon with whom he lived as it were in 
wedlock. His dwelling was at the head of a sequestered 
cove of the bay, some distance below the town, and shut 
oif from it by a marsh, through which a spring branch of 

c 



34 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

fresh water trickled past his door amidst a thicket of 
brambles and vines. At intervals, he would not make 
his appearance in Pensacola for months at a time; and 
then, if met by accident in the woods, his horse and gun 
were his only companions, and the care of his cattle, as he 
would say, his only employment ; and this was in fact his 
only ostensible business. His habits and his retiring 
manner did not fail to bring him under suspicion with 
some of the people of the town, but nothing could be 
adduced to authorize distrust ; and Diego disregarded 
whatever might have given offence to one of more 
susceptibleness than himself. Ferdinand had however, 
by a kindly and familiar treatment in the field, gained a 
hold upon the Spaniard's affections which no one else 
possessed. 

Diego, when all were mounted and ready to set out, 
appeared to be with much self-complaisance smoothing 
and arranging the forelock of his pretty bay pony neatly 
under the browband of his bridle. " Amado/' as his 
master called him, was not stout and scrubby like most 
ponies, but rather lightly than heavily made, and of re- 
markably fine proportions ; a full flowing mane hung on 
the right side of his arched and polished neck ; but Nature, 
so bountiful to Amado in other respects, had sportively or 
in derision denied him the ornamental and useful appen- 
dage of a full and flowing tail. 

The few, long, straggling hairs which that member dis- 
ported, gave an odd and rather ludicrous finish to his 
otherwise trim appearance. But when, as the party set 
out, the deep-mouthed tones of exultation of the hounds 
filled the air, Amado curled his rat-tail on high, and 
bounding from the earth, stood erect, pawing the air with 
his forefeet, and displaying the finest limbs and boldest 
action imaginaV)le. " DoAvn, Amado,'' said his master; 
and at the word, the " Da-rlhig,'^ with an angry and spite- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 35 

fill shake of the head, resumed his position, but continued 
to bite the bit, and ever and anon to hazard a kick at any 
of the dogs that were imprudent enough to come within 
his reach. As we moved forward, old Jupiter, Avith his 
long whip and silver-mounted horn, brought up the rear 
witli his canine troop. Bell's best dogs were, Bluetail, 
Bellona, and '^Old Enoch/^ as he was always called. The 
latter's name had originally been "Ranger/^ but having 
been emasculated — for what reason I know not — was one 
day on the parade-ground with his master, about to take 

tlie field, when Captain N , an odd character, coming 

by and addressing Bell, said, — 

"Why, Captain, that dog's an Enoch/^ — meaning a 
eunuch. 

The thing took, and ever after poor Ranger went by the 
name of "Old Enoch.'' 

We mustered to-day eight dogs. They are " fox-hounds ; " 
faster dogs are not preferred ; they run the deei* out of 
the range in a short time; and the country around being 
much cut up with bayous and swamps, it is impossible for 
the riders to keep with the dogs ; whereas the deer will 
play before the slower dogs, and afford opportunities for 
the horsemen to gain stands where it is known the deer 
will pass, and where the hunter is sure of his shot. 

We moved on tlirough the woods, where the long-leaved 
pine, sparsely distributed, towers up among the red and 
the white palmetto. As we rode along slowly, the dogs 
beating about quietly in front, seeking for the " trcdV of 
a deer. Captain Bell said to me, — 

"As you have not hunted yet in this region, I will point 
out to you in the distance tlie country that is to be the 
.heatre of your exploits to-day. Look through that almost 
open avenue, — there, a little to the riglit, you see a line 
of heavy, dark-green timber resembling a wall, and 
stretching away to the northwest as far as the eye can 



86 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

reach : it is the Immmock of Live-oak and Bay -galls that 
borders the bayou and conceals it ; but, at the same time, 
marks its course. Here, to the left, as far as we can see, 
the country is flat and open, and towards its mouth the 
bayou is nearly a mile wide, and its clear waters are 
margined with a beach of the purest white sand, inter- 
spersed with conical sand-hills ; but, as you ascend the 
stream again, the land gradually rises into pine ridges, the 
loose, sandy soil of which my little mare has reason to re- 
member, for, some days ago, we had a killing race over it ; 
and, should the deer carry us in that direction to-day, you 
will have use for your spurs, I assure you. Or if he 
shape his course down-stream, you may again find their 
service necessary in the wet lowlands. '^ 

Thus chatting, we passed through the patches of knotty 
^' black-jacks/' whose leaves were touched with a thousand 
hues of green, red, brown, and yellow, that gave a soni- 
brous wildness to the scenery, the effect of ^vhich was in- 
creased by the dull murmur of the breeze sighing through 
the pine-tops. The distant sound of our approach drove 
the startled fawn from its grassy bed, and it might be seen 
afar off at intervals as it bounded above the grass and pal- 
mettos. 

At length we came upon the hunting-ground, and Ju- 
piter was ordered with the pack " ^o drive'^ a branch or 
arm of the bayou that shot out from the main body of the 
hummock. The old black, plying his armed heel against 
the flanks of his stout hack, made his way resolutely 
through vines, briers, and various impediments that op- 
posed his advance, and finally forcing a passage into the 
impenetrable-looking underbrush, was lost to sight, though 
his progress was still denoted by his shouts of encourage- 
ment to the dogs. Jupiter had not advanced far before a 
single note, low, deep-toned, and prolonged, brought glad 
tidings and true to the ears of his master. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 37 

" Hark to him ! " cried the Captain. ^' Listen to old 
Enoch ; that was his voice, and it is a voice that never 
deceives. He has struck a ^ cold trail/ and carefully and 
truly will the old fellow follow it. Hark again ! another 
note; he Avill soon track the deer to his lair, and rouse 
him from his noon-day repose. We must separate, and be 
ready for him when the dogs force him from cover.'' 

Old Enoch continued his course slowly and accurately, 
from time to time giving notice of his progress ; wdien all 
at once the whole pack, bursting into full cry, proclaimed 
that the deer w^as up. Each horseman concealed himself 
and horse as much as possible behind a tree or bush, and 
waited in silence and anxious expectancy for the moment 
when the deer, on being closely pressed, should leave the 
hummock. In a few minutes, however. Bell, having lis- 
tened attentively to the cry, put spurs to his mare, and 
dashed down the branch to its junction with the bayou, 
and throwing the reins on his mare's neck, sat loosely in 
the saddle, coolly awaiting the approach of the chase, pre- 
pared to deliver his fire at the first bound of the deer from 
cover. His judgment proved to be correct : the boisterous 
cry of the pack passed, successively, each of the disap- 
pointed hunters stationed above ; but as the deer approach- 
ed the junction, he caught the wind of his enemy, and 
declined to leave the cover; and the cry of the pack soon 
proved that he had directed his flight up the main bayou. 
As Bell rode back, he called out, — 

'^ This fellow is disposed to breathe our horses. We are 
entered for a good mile race by this manoeuvre. The 
^ stand ' is the first cove above this branch ; if Ave let him 
pass that, he is safe for the day. Come on." 

An animated whoop started us at full speed, and in 

another moment we were sweeping through the rattling 

palmettos witli the sound of a hurricane. In order to 

gain the '^ stand'' indicated by the Captain, we were 

4 



38 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

obliged to double the branch or arm of the hummock in 
which the deer had been started ; so that, although we had 
the advantage of a more open country, Ave had to perform 
more than double the distance required of the deer to place 
him beyond further pursuit. The horses, however, were 
fresh, and as, open-mouthed, they drew near the cove, the 
pack was coming up in full cry towards us. Stands were 
taken as the judgment of the individual dictated, and 
scarcely were we disposed of, ere the chase came thunder- 
ing on. Again we were disappointed ; the deer, having 
approached to the very edge of the hummock, again caught 
the wind of his pursuers, and doubling back, returned in 
the same trail he had advanced upon. 

^^^lU old buck, I'll be sworn," cried Diego; ^n:)ut we'll 
have him yet, in spite of all his cunning.'' 

At this moment. Lieutenant Lewis, wdio had pulled up 
at the first stand on the " cove," as the broad, semicircular 
recess of the hummock was called, necessarily had the 
lead, when we turned to follow the chase on the back 
track by at least two or three hundred yards. This ad- 
vantage he seemed resolved to maintain ; and he was, in 
fact, still foremost in the race when we again drew near 
the ground where the deer was started ; but before he 
reached that point, the chase, a noble buck, which since 
the last dodge had strained every nerve to elude his pur- 
suers and make good his escape, came bounding and crasli- 
ing through the dry palmettos at a distance of a few hun- 
dred yards in front of the Lieutenant. Diego, who was 
next in advance, shouted to him, — 

^' Cut him off, or we lose him ! " 

Lewis gallantly dashed spurs into his horse's flanks and 
bore a little to the left, for the deer was running in a 
direction to cross his patli in front. Trees, logs, and snags 
all vanished from his sight ; he saw nothing but the 
majestic buck, and he determined to turn him at all 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 39 

hazards. He had already overcome two-thirds of the 
distance to the point at which the line of his own desper- 
ate course intersected that of the deer, and it was scarcely 
doubtful whether he would succeed in his object ; for the 
buck, whose attention was engrossed by the cry of the 
hounds in his rear, and moreover was purbliiid from hard 
running, evidently did not see the Lieutenant, who was 
bent on cutting off his retreat. Lewis' eye was on the 
deer, and he was just preparing for a tremendous shout to 
proclaim his success, when directly in his path lay an 
open patch some twenty yards in diameter, devoid of grass, 
but beautifully covered with a coat of green mould, which 
his horse seemed much inclined to avoid ; but the Lieu- 
tenant's eyes were riveted on the deer, and spurring 
passionately he drove his horse forward, and the next 
instant was plunged into a quick-sand bog. At the first 
leap the horse sunk to his shoulders, his head was buried 
in the mire, and he rolled over on his side. The rider 
had at the same time been thrown over the horse's head 
and lay stretched upon the moss-covered bog, while his 
gun projected beyond himself, and striking on its muzzle, 
stood erect and quivering within a few feet of the buck, 
which was in the act of passing just beyond the far side of 
the bog. The latter, unaccustomed to feats of flying 
vaulting, was as completely astounded as if a thunderbolt 
had fallen at his feet, nor could that indeed have checked 
his course more abruptly. For a moment he stood as if 
paralyzed, gazing on the scene, then wheeling with a wild 
snort, dashed back to the cover from which he had just 
emerged. We came up in time to assist in extricating the 
gallant Lieutenant from his awkward predicament. 

The pack came dashing out above almost as the buck 
went in again to the hummock below: they circled round 
where the deer had doubled, and without for a moment 
faltering followed him back again. The cry of the pack 



40 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

soon told that the buck as he regained the cover had 
dashed through to the banks of the bayou, where plunging 
in he swum the stream and hied him off to the northward. 
"Gentlemen/' said Diego, "the deer has ^ taken water/ 
and the dogs are pushing him bravely on the other side 
of the bayou ; we must not sit here idle. The wind is 
northerly ; he wdll continue his course up the western 
arm of the bayou to its source, and then strike off for the 
Perdido ; we must take the main ridge between the forks, 
and with good riding we shall meet him at the head of the 
\vest branch." — " Forward then," said Capt. Bell ; and the 
next moment we were dashing on as furiously as before. 
AVe were compelled to descend the stream some distance 
to gain a ford, Diego being our guide. On reaching the 
ford, the latter led the way across. — " It will be touch and 
go with your pony, here," said Ferdinand to Diego : 
" head up well, or you may miss the landing." 

" Never fear for me, Seiior," replied the other ; "Amado 
has crossed Bayou Grande too often to require assistance at 
any point. Nor do I admit that he has a superior on 
rough and difficult ground ; but when we reach the open 
ridge, Senor Fernando, you must put your horse to the 
top of his mettle (for there I admit your superiority), and 
if the deer is not killed there, he will bid us adieuj^ 

On gaining the opposite bank, we struck off nearly at 
right angles to the direction in which the dogs were heard. 
This was necessary to get at once upon the ridge which 
would carry us almost in a right line to the head-waters 
of the branch above mentioned ; while the route pursued 
by the deer in folloAvingthe circuitous course of the stream 
would not only be much longer but also prove more diffi- 
cult. A gallop of half a mile through the low scrub 
brought us to the dividing ridge Avhere the fair trial of the 
speed and bottom of the different horses must come off. 
We stopped a moment to listen for the dogs, but they 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 41 

were quite out of hearing. Ferdinand was well mounted 
and a good rider ; and he boldly took the- lead. Throw- 
ing his gun across his right shoulder, he gave the whoop 
and spurred on at a furious speed. Capt. Bell was at his 
side in a moment, Lewis and I followed, soon leaving 
Diego. The foremost horsemen bravely cleared every 
obstacle that met them. Not knowing the country, I was 
content to keep within pistol-shot of them, and Lewis' 
horse was unable to do more. The distance we had now to 
accomplish was nearly three miles ; but the undergrowth was 
grass and the timber sparse ; the riding was therefore much 
better, as the land was a dry and firm sand. Ferdinand 
maintained his position by the side of the white mare for 
the first mile ; but then the latter proved the superiority 
of her blood, and after a short struggle for the mastery, 
took the lead. The Captain apparently felt that he must 
put Fancy to her trumps to gain the stand in time to meet 
the deer, for w^e had not come within hearing of the chase 
as yet. 

And lightly did the noble animal carry her rider over 
log and snag, taking the most trying leaps witliout hesi- 
tation. Indeed, the beautiful creature that a little while 
before had seemed all gentleness and docility, and to an 
unpractised eye would have appeared too slightly formed 
for such work, was now all fire and vehemence. Bell 
evidently gave her the rein, and with his heel guiding her 
among the scattered pines through which she seemed to 
fly with an ease and confidence that by one unaccustomed 
to such sport would have been regarded with astonishment, 
he suffered her to choose her own way as far as possible. 
Thus the second mile was passed ; and Kate was now second 
in the race, which was continued with unabated ardor ; 
still no clamor of the i3ack was heard. 

The ridge was soon more thickly clad with the palmetto 
and black-jack, and our view was confined to a few yards 
4* 



42 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

in front and on either hand. On a sudden, however, I 
saw both Fancj and my own Kate raise inquiringly their 
ears, — for Kate was not content to remain behind, and had 
by this time come up alongside of Fancy, — and in a moment 
after lay them back close to their necks, and lunge forward 
as if inspired with new spirit. Onward they swept 
together mercilessly,* clearing their way through the inter- 
locked branches of the tough black-jacks, and soon to our 
joy we heard the faint notes of the distant pack, which 
was now approaching the head of the bayou, in a direc- 
tion converging to that in which we were advancing. 

A few hundred yards farther brought us througli the 
thicket, and we at once came upon a large savannah, or 
grassy pond, in which the bayou took its rise. The 
country was now perfectly open and admirable for the 
horses, and they carried us gayly along the margin of the 
savannah, the head of which was half a mile beyond where 
we entered upon it; and the "stand/' a regular defile 
through which the deer invariably passed in crossing over 
to the waters of the Perdido, was another half mile beyond 
the head of the savannah. 

When we entered upon the opening. Bell cast his eye 
down the bayou and discovered the buck coming up on 
the opposite side of the savannah, steadily pursued by the 
dogs, (though at some distance,) whence they sent for- 
ward the intelligence of their coming in deep-toned and 
eager cries. The poor buck, nearly exhausted with the 
long and uninterrupted run, is laboring under the weight 

* Any one who has ridden at top speed through the bhack-jacks of 
Florida, will comprehend the sense in which I use the word. The 
usual result is a pair of lower limbs, black, blue, and red all over. 
Nothing but buckskin will stand it. I once came in at the end of a 
deer-chase through the black-jacks, with my corduroys absolutely in 
ribbands ; and two of my friends had to ride close on each side of me, 
in order to get me fairly through the streets of Pensacola to the hotel, 
where I procured a refit. 



BY GEORGE A McCALL. 43 

of Ills branching antlers ; his parched tongue lolls from 
his husky throat ; his heart is bursting, and with his 
ebbing breath 

" He curses his conspiring feet, whose scent 
Betrays that safety which their swiftness lent." 

The Captain, at a glance, perceived his condition, but 
did not stop to moralize. He called out to me, — 

^^ We can take him as he passes the head of the pond." 

Again j^utting spur to our horses, we gained the head 
of the savannah in advance of him. On reaching the 
savannah, the buck had been compelled to leave the wind, 
the only medium through Avhicli he receives warning of 
danger in front ; for when hotly pursued, his eyesight soon 
fails him, and his ears are filled with the fearful cry of the 
hounds in his rear. It followed, then, that when we drew 
up at the distance of some two hundred yards in his front, 
he continued his course, unconscious of our presence. The 
Captain whispered, — 

" The first shot is yours ; — fire.'' 

I drew up my piece, and fired ; but the excitement of 
the chase, and the fatigue of my bridle-arm, caused my aim 
to be unsteady, and my bullet cut the leaves from the 
bushes above his head. 

The buck sprang forward at the report, and redoubled 
his efforts. The white mare now stood statue-like, with 
ears erect and eyes fixed upon the noble deer still advanc- 
ing ; and before the fated patriarch of the wilds had made 
two leaps, the Captain's piece rang forth his death-kncll. 
The buck made one tremendous leap; staggered forward a 
few yards in quick, irregular plunges; recovered himself; 
and then, expending the remaining energies of vitality in 
one majestic bound, fell lifeless on the plain. 

In a short time the wild shout of our friends, now ar- 
rived on the ground, was at once the plaudit of the victor 
and the requiem of the slain. The dogs too, coming up 



44 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS. 

upon the trail, but little blown by their long and fatiguing 
run, soon caught the scent of blood, and, with erected tails 
and bristling hair, rushed forward and crowded upon their 
victim. And now, old Jupiter, a notorious hard rider, 
who had followed the chase sufficiently to keep always 
within hearing of the dogs, came, whipping and spurring, 
upon the scene, and springing at once from his horse, took 
hold of the deer, and, with a joyous and inimitable burst 
of laughter, exclaimed, — 

" You make good shot this time, Massa Captain ; your 
bullet take him here, between the neck and right shoulder, 
and come out through the ribs on t'other side ! '' 

We now dismounted to let our horses breathe, while all 
present collected around the deer to admire his great length 
of body, his broad loin, and his fine limbs. Then, seated 
upon the grass, a cigar was soon lighted, and the excite- 
ment produced by the chase was soothed and allayed by 
the magic power of the Indian Aveed. By the time we had 
finished our cigars, the deer had been bestowed '^ a la 
croupiere de vieux Jupiter/^ and we proceeded slowly on our 
way homeward. 

P. S. — If you, dear H , have not found this long 

deer-hunt rather " de trop/^ I may, by-and-by, give you 
some other sketches of life in Florida. Adieu. 



Cantonment Clinch, December i, 1822. 

My dear H : Thanks for your letter of the 25th. 

The favor with which mine are received, as well as the 
anticipation of the bright returns they bring, induces me 
to continue the sketches of this indolent and pleasure- 
loving people amongst whom the initiation of my military 
career has fallen. Indeed, the change of life from the dis- 
cipline of the Military Academy to the light garrison 
duty here required of us, tempered by a moderate indul- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 45 

gence of fun and frolic to fill up the vacant liours, has 
made the past two months a regular holiday. I have much 
to tell you ; but I think I must begin with a very pleasant 
evening party I was at last week. This was an entertain- 
ment called a " Bouquet Ball." And what is a " Bouquet 
Ball ? " you will ask. I wdll tell you. It is an enter- 
tainment given now and then by a single gentleman in 
return for the hospitalities in general, and more particu- 
larly the dancing parties of the matrons and leaders of 
society. 

The gentleman at whose expense the ball is given, is, 
with the usual consideration still entertained by the old 
Spanish and French families for rank and position, entitled 
'' King; " and the lady who consents to share his honors 
on the occasion, is duly invested with the equally gratify- 
ing appellation of '^QueenJ^ In the course of the even- 
ing the Queen presents a bouquet of flowers to some one 
of the bachelors present, and then it is that, as she, at a 
certain appointed time during the festivities, prepares to 
discharge this her privilege and pleasing ceremonial, the 
heart of many a youtliful aspirant beats high in hope and 
expectation, and the diaphragms of certain old bachelors, 
whose ruling passion is gradually sliding from ostentation 
into avarice, are being agitated by less agreeable sensa- 
tions. 

The last victim to this arbitrary custom was an Eng- 
lishman, who had been long established as a merchant on 
Palafox Street, and wdio had also passed that period when 
the tender passion and kindred sympathies of man prompt 
to matrimonial alliances. Nevertheless, he had been fairly 
entrapped by a coterie of merry Creoles, as I am told, and 
being committed to the measure, had boldly challenged 
the fairest and gayest young w^idow of Pensacola to sliare 
liis lionors on tlie inevitable occasion. 

In their social intercourse, no pleasure presents greater 



46 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS. 

allurements to the inhabitants of this fair town than a 
hearty observance of the rites of Terpsichory. Nor, on 
such occasions as this, is there observed a very strict dis- 
tinction of classes. In the intercourse of every-day life, 
the wealthy and intelligent were, of course, the more im- 
portant personages, and some few families of this class 
resolutely maintained an aristocratic superiority ; but on 
the occurrence of a fete like the present, when a general 
exhibition of beauty and taste is looked for, they meet on 
terms of easy and good-humored familiarity. They, one 
and all, dress with simplicity and good taste ; and as the 
least wealthy are, as well as their superiors, remarkable for 
a native grace and dignity of carriage and manner rarely 
to be met with elsewhere, except among the educated and 
refined classes, it would not be an easy matter for a stranger 
in one of these assemblies to distinguish, by their air or 
general appearance, the proud patrician from the scarcely 
less polished plebeian. 

Although to the Kin(/, as the host is called, these enter- 
tainments are attended with a degree of inconvenience and 
trouble not altowther suited to the tastes and habits of 
our friend Mr. Norton, yet, being a man somewhat addicted 
to pomposity and display, he designed that the dlvertise- 
ment, with which he proposed to regale the good people of 
Pensacola, should be distinguished for a magnificence un- 
known in the history of " Bouquet Balls.'' He also con- 
templated the delight he should himself experience, and 
the envy he should infallibly create, in leading the volup- 
tuous Madame La Fleur, in the character of Queen, through 
the mazes of the Spanish dances ; and in a momentary fit 
of liberality, or rather extravagance, gave orders that no 
pains or expense should be spared in the preparations. 
Invitations were extended to every family where there was 
a pretty face. Nor were the dark-eyed Creoles less ex- 
cited in anticipation of the disj)lay promised them by Mr. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 47 

Norton, who made no secret of the willingness with which 
he submitted to the task of superintending and directing 
the arrangements. 

The long looked-for evening at length arrived : the 
company was assembled in the spacious ball-room of the 
''Hotel d'Espagne/' Avhich was brilliantly lighted and 
gayly decorated. The music had for some time been dis- 
coursing its most enticing airs, and the lovers of the dance 
were becoming impatient for the appearance of their 
majesties, who were, of course, to open the ball. When, 
at last, they entered the room, the music sounded a march, 
and the company advanced to greet them, while such 
expressions as, '' See, they come ! " " How lovely she 
looks ! '^ floated round. Mr. Norton moved through the 
room Avith measured step and consequential air, bowing 
right and left in the most grave and condescending 
manner; while the graceful La Fleur hung languish- 
ingly on his arm, and, with the most bewitching smiles, 
returned the salutations of her numerous friends and 
admirers. 

The arrival of the distinguished personages was the 
signal for the joyous work upon which the young and gay 
were all equally eager to enter ; so that the call to the gen- 
tlemen to lead out their partners was immediately complied 
with. The King and Queen, of course, occupied the most 
conspicuous position in the dance, on the riglit of the 
Spanish contra-dance. The music, measured and slow, 
commenced ; the queen began the figure. She glided 
through the intricacies of the dance with a liglit step, to 
which the movements of her matchless figure (full but 
not over-grown) conformed with facility and grace. I 
could not but concede to her the charm of combinino: with 
feminine dignity the seducing languor of the queen of 
love. This dance, uniting the beauties of the minuet with 
those of the waltz, is unrivalled in the fine attitudes and 



48 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

chaste movements its peculiar figures are calculated tx) 
exhibit. 

These Creoles understand it well : their ear for time is 
so good, their movements so perfectly exact, that, as they 
seem to float through the dance, their lovely figures might 
be likened to the heavenly bodies moving in circles and 
elipses through the solar system, without ever interfering 
one with onother. 

As La Fleur and her partner — for Norton had lived 
long enough in Pensacola to be an adept — slowly passed 
down the long alley of smiling damsels and gallant men, 
lingering in the exchange of partners and interchange of 
courtesies with each succeeding couple as they went, her 
animated and glowing countenance showed that every 
thought was absorbed, and that her ardent soul was revel- 
ling in the delight which fine music and the brilliant 
scene around was calculated to inspire. I could not but 
pay her the homage of my admiration, although I knew 
her to be totally without the education of the schools, 
which we of the Xorth consider so absolutely essential to 
the development of the character and refinement of our 
women. 

I joined in the next dance with the fair Carlota, the 
sister of Ferdinand, — a lady-like girl, who had had the 
advantage of such book-learning as the reverend and 
excellent Father Pierre had been able to communicate to 
her. Otherwise, she is gentle, lively, and fond of the 
dance. As I accompanied her to a seat, I espied Lieut. 
Lewis in conversation with Dr. Coburn. I divined, 
as a matter of certainty, that some fun was brewing, and 
I joined them as soon as politeness allowed me to leave 
Carlota to the care of the gentleman who had asked her 
hand for the waltz, at that moment called for. 

The wild, laughter-loving Lieutenant had just met the 
Surgeon, in whose eccentricities he found an inexhaustible 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 49 

fund of amusement, at the same time that he admired, 
respected, and loved the Doctor for his many sterling 
qualities. 

'^ Why, Doctor/' said Lewis, arguing a point with his 
friend as I came up, " you carry all before you/' 

The Doctor Avas at the moment shaking the folds from 
a cambric handkerchief, which he applied to his forehead 
to remove the traces of too manifest exertion in the last 
dance. 

" Why, Doctor, I must inform you the ladies consider 
you one of the most active men on the floor — " 

^' I 'm your obedient servant,'' returned the other ; 
"but. Lieutenant, you must not mistake me. I dance 
simply for amusement, and because the exercise produces 
a healthful action on my skin. I am regardless of opinion, 
and study not the graces Avhich you affect." 

"Our success in any undertaking," replied the Lieu- 
tenant, bowing low to conceal his countenance, " depends 
more or less upon the zeal with which our efforts are made. 
But, come. Doctor," said the Lieutenant, as the music in 
measured cadence called the lovers of the waltz to the 
floor, "a man of your skill and gallantry must not be 
idle. Numbers of languishing black eyes are already 
turned upon you. Come, let us take partners; there are 
two ladies whose looks seem to challeno;e us." 

So saying, he took the little Doctor by the arm, and 
moved in the direction he had indicated. Lewis made 
his bow to the ladies, and unceremoniously secured the 
prettiest of the two for himself; while the Surgeon, who 
had followed doubtingly, or rather had been dragged along 
by his friend, found himself under the necessity of offering 
his hand to the other, who happened to be a tall, digni- 
fied senorita, that stood, Avhen she left her seat, a full 
head and shoulders above the Doctor. Tlie room was 
already inscribed with a circle of a\ hirling couples in the 
5 D 



50 LETTERS FR03I THE FRONTIERS, 

various attitudes of " degage/' " dos-a-dos/^ et cetera, but, 
at the same time, avoiding, by the skilful ease and regu- 
larity of their movements, all collision or interference 
with each other. 

As I followed with my eye the progress of this ill-sorted 
couple, I could not but condemn the conduct of the Lieu- 
tenant in forcing the worthy Surgeon into such a scrape ; 
for, whilst his partner was moving with the statelincss of 
a Minerva, the pursy little gentleman was flying round her 
at arm's length, and vainly striving, in the rapidity of his 
revolutions, to regulate or control his steps. At every turn 
one unruly leg would fly out behind like unto a puppet 
whose wires Avere deranged. In fact, the limb was 
unmanageable, and it seemed beyond the power of the 
Doctor to bring it to the floor. It was evident that the 
senorita was not a little annoyed by the consciousness 
that the attention of the lookers-on was directed towards 
her partner. The latter, however, was too much occupied 
to make observations, and, with the spirit of a game 
chicken, he persevered until the music ceased. 

In a little v/hile, my attention was attracted to a cotillon 
in front of me, where Madame La Fleur w^as executing a 
pirouet with surpassing elegance. These women, my dear 

H , w^ere created with physical endowments of the 

highest order, compensating for, I might almost say, more 
than compensating for their want of the mental. Yet, I 
will not assert, either, that they are deficient in intellect, 
however much it may want development. They are, at 
all events, gentle and amiable. 

In a short time the band played a march, announcing 
supper. The entertainment was profuse. The table was 
loaded with every delicacy ; the guests in great good- 
humor. Tlie thing was, in fact, a perfect success, and did 
cralit to the liberality of our friend Norton. 

The time for the presentation of the bouquet to the fortu- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 51 

nate gentleman npon whom Mad. La Fleur might decide to 
confer that honor, was to be, according to long-established 
rule, immediately after the guests returned from the supper- 
table to the ball-room. A march was played as the com- 
pany filed through the entrance, and dispersed around 
within the walls of the long saloon ; the question with all 
being, '^ Who is to get the bouquet?" for La Fleur had 
been mysteriously silent on the subject. 

There is, I must let you know, a Scotch gentleman here, 
a merchant, reputed rich, but extremely penurious, who 
must be arranged in the class of old bachelors, Roderick 
VicAlpin by name ; who, I am told, was never known 
to decline an invitation to an evening or a dinner-party, 
or to extend an invitation of a similar character to any 
one, young or old, in Pensacola. He had been threatened 
Avith the bouquet more than once by the ladies, it is said ; 
but inevitably vanished between the moment of leaving 
the supper-table and that of entering the ball-room, 
although the rooms were adjoining, and had but one door 
of communication between them. On this occasion, some 
of the mischievous senoritas had plotted to entrap the old 
gentleman ; and having gained Mad. La Fleur's promise 
to present him with the fatal token if they could produce 
him bodily, they succeeded in inducing some of their 
devoted senors to lock the doors before supper was over. 
The consequence was, that after the company had all made 
their way into the ball-room, and Mad. La Fleur, leaning 
on the arm of the self-satisfied M. Norton, had made the 
detour of the room, she espied the hitherto invisible Don 
Roderick, as it were, cemented against the Avail, being con- 
tracted Avithin himself to a degree, that, had there been a 
sufficiently large augur-hole convenient, he Avould doubt- 
less haA^e vanished again. The lady passed him Avithout 
notice, and mo\^ed on ; but in another moment she turned 
suddenly, and before VicxVlpin suspected the design, the 



52 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

dreaded bouquet was presented at Ins breast. Had it 
been a pistol, it would not have caused the stout heart of 
the old fellow half the agitation w^hich did this pretty 
bunch of flowers. I happened to be standing near at the 
time ; and it really gave me pain, however ludicrous the 
whole scene was, to witness the real agony of that man's 
feelings. His long jaw became longer as his under-lip 
fell; his long nose looked longer as his cheeks shrunk 
from it, and its natural twist to one side became more 
apparent as the blood left his face. A kind of hiccough 
was the only reply to the neat little speech of the blooming 
widow who stood before him. At last, summoning up his 
courage to meet a result that was now inevitable, he bowed 
low and extended his hand to receive the gift. The good- 
natured La Fleur, thereupon, in order to relieve his 
embarrassment, made a gracious bow, and with a little 
word of congratulation waved her hand and moved on. 

A pervading feeling as of satisfaction that the old rogue 
was caught at last, seemed to fill the merry hearts of woman- 
kind ; but a lively air, sounding from the little orchestra 
at that moment, called the attention of all the youthful 
lads and lasses to the business of the evening, and the 
remembrance of the incident Avas soon lost in the joyous 
mirth of the dance. 

Somehow or other, Don Roderick soon made his escape 
with his bouquet. He made no attempt to secure the 
consent of any fair one to share with him the honors in 
store, probably from apprehension that he might meet 
with a rebuff. However that may be, he will have to pay 
the penalty, rest assured. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 53 

Cantonment Clinch, January 6, 1823. 

Dear H : Since my last to you, I have been fre- 
quently at the liouse of Ferdinand Oreo, and have seen a 
good deal of his mother and sister. They are well- 
bred ; tlie former, mild but dignified; the latter, lively, 
natural, and unaffected. Late in the afternoon of yester- 
day, I strolled down the street towards the water, and 
seeing Ferdinand and the ladies on the piazza, I joined 
them. At that hour the view down the bay is grand. 
The bright sun had nearly run his daily course through a 
calm, clear sky, in which not a cloud had crossed his 
2)ath, and now approached the long, lustrous line of the 
western horizon, to plunge, as it seemed, beneath the sea. 
The day had been sufficiently warm to make the return 
of evening agreeable ; and it was one of those delicious 
evenings peculiar to the climate of Florida. There was 
that serenity in the heavens that lulls the mind, at the 
same time that the increasing elasticity of the land breeze 
cheers and exhilarates the spirits. The eye, too, worried by 
the dazzling glare of noon, found relief in wandering over 
the fading prospect. In front, across the broad bay, lay 
the Island of Santa Rosa, whose thick clumps of dark- 
green Yapon-Bushes, interspersed with snow-white sand- 
hills, already began to lose their distinctness in the mellow 
shades of twilight. On the left, far away, the Escambia, 
the Coldwater, Whitewater, Blackwater, and Yellow- 
water Rivers, — verily a rare assemblage of names, — with 
their host of tributaries, mingling their streams in two 
great estuaries, thence poured their united volume into 
the princely bay of Pensacola. As the last ray of the 
setting sun glanced over this scene, w^e observed a heavy, 
dingy-looking schooner, of no great burden, cast her 
anclior in front of the town. This was a fishing-smack 
returning from a cruise. She had doubled the extreme 
5^ 



54 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

western promontory some hours before, and had slowly 
worked lier way up the harbor. The sluggish craft was 
illy adapted, like others of her class, to contend with 
adverse winds; and as the lazy Creole loves best to glide 
over the waves with a full sail, it is rarely that any but a 
fair breeze fills his soiled canvas. Soon after the vessel 
was safely moored, a thin cloud of smoke, that rose in a 
spiral form from the caboose, showed that the crew were 
already preparing their evening meal. I have preferred^ 
dear H, describing the scenery around us last evening, to 
relating the sallies of wit and lively discussions that 
passed between the ladies and myself, or the more edify- 
ing narratives of fishing and hunting adventures with 
which Ferdinand favored me. Before we parted, however, 
a riding party, to consist of Carlota and your humble ser- 
vant, under the guidance and patronage of Ferdinand and 
Josephine, was arranged. I should have told you that I 
have recently participated in the pleasure of such excur- 
sions several times in company with ma bonne amie Car- 
lota, who is a fearless equestrienne. 

Eh hien ! cela n^hnporte ; but as we met with somewhat 
of an adventure in the course of our ride, I will tell you 
all about it })recisely as it occurred. To begin. 

Having called for i]\Q ladies, "Captain," said Carlota, 
(the ladies always give me that title,) "my brother is 
quite unwell to-day, and cannot leave his room; but 
Josephine and I are equipped and will accompany you ; 
and. Captain, as you once promised to go with us to the 
mouth of le Bayou Grande, shall we not take that route 
to-day?" 

" With pleasure," I answered ; and at once we mounted 
and rode forth from the town in the road to the Barran- 
cas, the site of the old Spanish fort. A joyous trio, we 
galloped briskly on the road leading through the plain clad 
with black-jacks, as the low-scrub-oaks are called, until 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 55 

we reached the hills covered with the long-leaved pine, 
only 2^ausing to dwell for a moment on some wild land- 
scape, or to gaze upon the extensive and dreary, or the 
more lively prospects that occasionally presented them- 
selves to our view. An hour's canter or easy gallop 
brought us to the mouth of the bayou ; where a still purer 
air than that of the pine-barrens met us on our approach 
to the sea. Arrived at this point, we came to a halt to 
breathe our horses, whilst the young ladies admired the 
brilliant scene to seaward, where the gently curling waves 
were glittering beneath a noonday sun. The bright eyes 
of my companions soon traced the low line of Santa Rosa 
Island to its extreme point, where for a limited space the 
Gulf of Mexico was open to view, and where '^ skies and 
seas the prospect only bound." After lingering here some 
time, Ave turned our horses' heads towards home ; and I 
proposed to the ladies to follow the course of the beach 
for a mile or two, in order to vary the route before we 
turned again into the pine woods. We had not, however, 
proceeded more than half a mile, when, on passing round 
a high, thick clump of yapon-bushes, which projected 
from the forest nearly to the water's edge, and concealed 
a small plat of coarse, wiry grass, which here took the 
place of the almost omnipresent palmetto, we suddenly 
found ourselves in front of an Indian camp. A comely 
matron was seated upon a bear-skin in front of the tent, 
which was constructed of saplings so planted in the 
ground and united overhead as to form the figure of the 
sixteenth of a sphere, or, in other words, the front of the 
tent was open ; the sides and back were rounded and 
thatched with palmetto-leaves. This temporary dwelling 
or hunting camp of a Creek Indian, was built under the 
spreadingbranchesof a large live-oak,which towered in soli- 
tary grandeur above the surrounding growth of black-jacks 
and yapon. At a little distance to the right of the tent 



5G LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

was a small scaffold upon whicli was laid a quantity of 
sliced "redfish/' which was being cured by a smoulder- 
ing fire beneath, aided by the sun's rays. 

The Indian woman was still in the spring-time of life; 
her features were delicate, and the deep glow of health 
shone in a warm natural blush upon her tawny cheek. 
She was emj)loyed, at the moment our party rode up, in 
the dutiful task of mending a moccasin, which, as from 
its size it could never have graced her own little foot, no 
doubt appertained to the wardrobe of her lord and master. 
Near her, upon the bear-skin, was a child about a year 
old, whose only article of attire was a string of gay-colored 
glass beads about its neck ; it was amusing itself and 
mother with the music of a rattle formed of a small gourd 
containing sundry dried beans. 

The woman had apparently been aware of the approach 
of strangers, — of which the tread of our horses upon the 
sand had apprised her before we came in open view, — for 
when at once our party appeared in front of her, she 
quietly raised her eyes, and seemed at a glance to read 
the character of. the strangers who stood before her, as 
doubtless she had correctly conjectured before she saw 
us, and then, with the habitual nonchalance of her race, 
she resumed her work. 'Not a muscle of her classic face 
(for her features were truly classical) had moved; and 
the next moment the closest observer could not have 
detected from her appearance a consciousness of the pres- 
ence of her visitors. 

Knowing that the Indians who visit Pensacola to sell 
their skins, and procure powder, lead, and other neces- 
saries, are better acquainted with the Spanish language 
tlian either the French or English, I addressed her as we 
drew up our horses, — 

"Buenos dies, Amiga J^ 

She replied, ^^Stan-tose,''* in a smootli but slightly 

* "I do not nmlerstand." 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 57 

drawling tone, dwelling w^ith a peculiar force upon the 
last syllable, at the same time raising her handsome and 
now expressive face with an inquiring look. There was 
a good-humored smile playing round her lips as she shook 
her finger significantly in front of her ear, to signify that 
she did not understand. 

Perceiving that she did not comprehend me, and having 
no knowledge of the Mus-ko-ghe tongue, I Avas endeav- 
oring by signs to propound the various questions which 
Carlota and Josephine were urging, when the sharp crack 
of a rifle was heard from the interior of a dense thicket, 
which, commencing at the distance of a hundred yards 
from the tent, stretched along the beach far away to 
the eastward. The report was followed by a shrill, 
])iercing whoop. The woman was smiling and looking 
directly at me at the time; but cpiick as the lightning's 
flash, by that cry as by the wand of the powerful en- 
chanter, Magrauby, she seemed to have been changed into 
a woman of stone. Her under jaw was so far dropped as 
just to part her lips; her eyes Avere fixed, and without 
expression; and every power and faculty for an instant 
seemed centred and absorbed in intense listening. I heard 
no further sound; but the woman evidently did, for at 
that moment she uttered a faint, scarcely audible excla- 
mation, and springing to her feet with a bound, she turned 
her eyes in the direction of the thicket whence the report 
of the rifle had come. I turned in that direction, and 
beheld an Indian just breaking through the edge of the 
thicket. 

He was bending forward, and dashed like a madman 
over the thick saw-palmettos. 

"Fear nothing, ladies!" said I, reining my mare in 
front of them. Scarcely had I done so, when the Indian 
was at my side; but without noticing us, the savage 
darted into his tent. 



58 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

In another instant lie reappeared with his rifle and 
hunting-pouch. He spoke not, but with eyes rolling like 
the enraged tiger's, he shook the powder from his alliga- 
tor-tooth charger into the muzzle of his rifle, and thrust 
his hand into the pouch for a ball. I marked the furious 
disappointment that darkened his lean visage as he ascer- 
tained that his last ball had been expended. As he drew 
forth his empty hand, a fearfully bitter exclamation burst 
from his compressed lips, and the useless gun dropped 
from his relaxed gripe upon the earth. Then a convul- 
sive motion shook his athletic frame, and he buried his 
forehead in his open palms. His hunting-frock had 
fallen back from his shoulders, and as he leaned forward 
in the agony of frustrated revenge, I perceived a blue 
gunshot wound in the upper part of his shoulder, from 
which one large clot of dark coagulated blood hung upon 
his tawny skin. All this had passed with the rapidity of 
thought, and the Indian's wife had neither moved nor 
spoken. She had, however, at once comprehended the 
meaning of the war-Avhoop she had heard ; she knew full 
well from its tone that the shot had been fired at her 
husband; she saw the friend and companion of happy 
days rush wounded into her presence ; yet she asked no 
idle questions, but with the stern though calm self-com- 
mand so remarkable in her people, awaited the issue. 
She saw her beloved bend forward and dash his burning 
forehead into his clasped hands, while the blood oozed 
from his wound, and shrunk not; yet the next instant, 
with a low, suppressed scream, she sprang in front of her 
husband, and clasping him in her arms, covered him with 
her own body. With her face turned over her shoulder, 
and with horror depicted in her countenance, her startled 
eyes were turned toward the thicket. I raised my eyes, 
and, to my utter astonishment, beheld a man at the edge of 
the thicket deliberately raise his rifle at the defenceless and 



Br GEORGE A. McCALL. 59 

almost naked beings at my side. It was a sight, dear 

H , to thrill a heart of stone. I wish I could only 

describe it to you as I saw it ; it would have roused all 
your manly sympathies. However, you know how rap- 
idly our ideas pass through the mind in such a moment; — 
my heart had swelled with compassion for the poor chil- 
dren of the forest ; but intense indignation at the conduct 
of the murderous wretch now filled my soul. Following 
the impulse of the moment, I dashed the spurs into my 
mare, and launched her directly at the fellow, with the 
view to ride him down. 

^' Villain ! " I shouted, as he recoiled and sprang aside 
to avoid the shock ; and the next instant, as I drew up my 
mare, who should stand revealed before me 'but Diego 
Kojo. " What ! you here, Diego ? " I exclaimed. " AYhat 
fiend has prompted this ? '' 

" Seiior,'' replied the fellow, with perfect self-possession, 
^'the Mus-ko-ghe is a wolf, and he shall die the death of 
a wolf! " and he turned again in the direction of the tent. 

'' If you raise your piece again,'^ I added, " your life 
shall be the forfeit." 

Diego started at the words, and turned fiercely towards 
me ; but probably suspecting tliat I was armed, he lowered 
the breech of his gun, and with a subdued mien, and in 
a voice in which the expression of rage was still struggling 
with the respectful tone he endeavored to assume, said, — 

''Senor, the savage Mus-ko-ghe has injured Diego, and 
the spirit of a Spaniard calls for vengeance ; but," he con- 
tinued, with more calmness, ^'for your sake, Diego Kojo 
foregoes his revenge and will let the dog live." 

With these words, he turned towards the thicket from 
which he had emerged, and was about to depart. But I 
observed the glare of his eye, in spite of his efforts to 
smother his rage ; and knowing that forbearance or a for- 
giving temper were scarcely to be nund)cred among the 



60 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

fellow's qualities, I apprehended the grudge would not 
easily be forgotten ; and desirous withal to know the cause 
of the feud, I said in a conciliatory tone, as he turned 
away, — 

''Allow me to ask you, Diego, who this Indian is, and 
how he has injured you?'' 

" The Mus-ko-ghe dog ! " he muttered to himself, and 
then replied : '' He comes from the Appalachicola, Senor, 
and for the last two years has passed the hunting season 
in this region. At the close of the season he disposes of 
his skins in Pensacola, or exchanges them for blankets and 
cloths, with which he loads his pack-horses, and returns 
to his own country. During his stay here, not satisfied 
with the wild meat of the forest, he must have a dainty 
calf whenever he fancies to indulge his wife's appetite. 
Not satisfied with this, he, last spring, drove off the fattest 
bullock of my herd; and I then swore, that, if we met 
again, my rifle should be the first to speak to him." 

'' But you must admit, Diego," I replied, '' the possi- 
bility of some one else having driven off your bullock, if 
you have no proof; and you surely do not mean that the 
mere suspicion prompted you to so bloody a vengeance ? " 

'' Seiior," he returned, doggedly, " I found on a rail of 
the cattle-pen some of the wool of a new blanket I had 
sold him the day before, and which was straj^ped on his 
wife's back ; and that was proof enough for me. It rained 
during the night, and I was unable to track them; and, 
for the first time since then, I saw yesterday his camp here. 
He was absent; but to-day I found him digging the 
coonta-root, and had he not stooped at the instant I pulled 
trigger, his account would have been settled." 

Again I offered to plead hunger as the Indian's pali- 
ating excuse for the offence. 

'' No, Senor," he replied ; '' there are deer and turkeys 
in these woods for the killing ; there are fish in the bay for 



BY GEORGE A. Me CALL. 61 

the spearing ; there is ^ coonta ' to make bread for the dig- 
ging ; but, were this not the case, there is food everywhere 
in Florida on which an Indian may live where a wolf 
would starve; and yet I must pen cattle for the lazy 
hound. Ha ! I believe I am fit to serve the basest Mus- 
ko-ghe of them all, since I suffer it/' While he spoke, 
his eye glared again and his countenance became pale with 
passion, but the next moment relapsed into an expression 
of dogged sullenness. " I take my leave of you, Seiior,'' 
he added ; and without waiting a reply, uttered his "A 
dios, Senor," and made his way into the thicket from which 
he had come. 

When Diego thus unceremoniously made his retreat, I 
returned to the ladies, whom I had, without ceremony, so 
suddenly left on their horses in front of the wounded In- 
dian's tent. In the meantime, these young ladies, having 
witnessed the stirring scene just described, fainted not! 
Whether it was that they had more self-possession and 
strength of mind than falls to the share of the generality 
of young ladies nowadays ; or whether fainting is not in 
vogue Avith the fair Creoles of Pensacola ; or whether, 
finally, they took into consideration that fainting on horse- 
back, with no one to fly to their assistance but a wounded 
Indian and his half-distracted wife, might not prove to be 
as comfortable as fainting in an arm-chair, with devoted 
lovers at their feet and smelling-bottles on the centre-table, 
are points we must leave to the solution of tlie initiated. 
All I have to do is to state facts ; and this I learned after- 
wards from Josephine, that, immediately after I left them, 
the Indian, overcome by the hurricane of his passions and 
the pain of his Avound, fell senseless upon the ground, 
while his afflicted wife knelt over him and raised his head, 
which she moistened with her tears. 

This pitiful sight so enlisted the sympathy of Carlota, 
that she quietly slid from her horse, and approaching the 
6 



62 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

weeping female, endeavored to assuage the pangs of grief 
which seemed to be tearing her very heart-strings. She 
pressed into the young woman's hand her own cambric 
handkerchief, and urged her to stanch with it the blood 
now ebbing from the fountain of life. In this state I 
found affairs on my return. The Indian at length showed 
signs of returning animation ; and first he turned one 
doating look upon his wife, then regaining his manly dig- 
nity, he drew himself up, and, offering me his hand, pro- 
nounced the word "Amigo,^' (friend,) in the Spanish, and 
added more in his own tongue which I did not under- 
stand. 

I now, with the wife's assistance, examined the wound, 
and found that the ball had glanced upon the shoulder- 
blade, and passing over it to the front, had lodged under 
the skin between the neck and the collar-bone. When 
the nature of the wound was ascertained, the Indian drew 
his hunting-knife from his belt, and feeling for the ball, 
which protruded like a dark cherry beneath the skin, with 
his left hand he held it firmly between the thumb and 
forefinger, tlien, with the knife in his right hand, he, with 
unchanging countenance, made a slight incision at the 
proper place, and the ball, pressed forward, fell into his 
open hand. In the meantime the woman had gathered 
some leaves, which grcAV at hand, and, having chewed 
them, placed the mass on either orifice of the wound, and 
bound it up with Carlota's handkerchief, which the latter 
proffered for the purpose. 

As the affair seemed now to be terminated, and I had, 
notwithstanding Diego's promise to me, some misgivings, 
I endeavored to communicate to them that their safety 
here would be rather precarious, and that I advised them 
to change their hunting-grounds. After whicli we made 
some presents to them ; and the ladies having regained 
their saddles, we returned to Pensacola without lurther 
incident. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 63 

Cantonment Clinch, January, 1823. 

Dear H : The day following the date of my last 

I was detailed as the Judge Advocate of a General Court 
Martial for the trial of Guard House Prisoners, (as we 
call the private soldiers who, when charged with serious 
oifences, are confined under guard until brought to trial,) 
and the court has been in session ten days. 

During this time I often thought of the Indians 
encamped near the Bayou Grande, and their feud with 
Diego. I related to my much-esteemed friend. Captain 
Bell, who was a member of the court, the circumstances 
attending our accidental visit to the Indian camp, and 
asked what he knew of this man Diego. Bell, who has 
been with the regiment ten years, informed me that Diego 
is a native of Havana, though he has been living about 
Pensacola for many years ; that his ostensible occupation 
has been that of a cowherd, and that he is said to possess 
a good herd; but that, at times, he would leave the 
neighborhood ; when his cattle sometimes strayed off their 
range, and on his return cost him much trouble to reclaim 
them from their wanderings. These vexations the Span- 
iard, habitually irascible, usually bears with commendable 
composure; but as he commonly keeps much aloof, and 
returns general and vague answers when questioned as to 
his business while absent, little is really known of him. 
" In fine,'' said the Captain, " I half suspect the fellow 
of being in some way or other connected with a half 
smuggling, half piratical crew.'' 

I could not help feeling an interest in the safety of 
the children of the forest, between whom and the ven- 
geful Spaniard I knew a feud must continue to exist, 
if they remained within striking distance of each other; 
and as we were off duty this morning, I proposed to 
Bell that we should ride down to the hunting-camp. 



64 LETTERS FROM TEE FRONTIERS, 

On arriving at the ground, we found that the camp had 
been abandoned some eight or ten days. The broad pal- 
metto-leaves, with which the tent or cabin was thatched, 
had been partially thrown oif and scattered by the winds ; 
and now faded and grown yellow, they either hung loosely 
on the poles, or lay in disorder upon the ground. 

A quantity of fish-bones lay bleaching around the 
remains of the extinguished fire ; the little scaffold used 
for drying fish was thrown down ; the slight sapling, rest- 
ing on a couple of forked sticks, Avhich had answered the 
purpose of a crane upon which to hang the little copper 
kettle, had withstood the stress of the storm, but now 
thoroughly smoke-dried, was the only memento of the 
many wholesome meals that had been prepared through 
its agency. Near by lay a half-worn sieve made of split 
cane, such as the Indian housewife uses to bolt her flour, 
whether of corn or the coonta-root, (a species of arrow- 
root,) after it has undergone the process of grinding, or 
rather beating in a mortar chopped or sunk into the 
body of the nearest log. Everything bore marks of that 
wanton thoughtlessness with which the red man abandons 
his temporary abode, whenever he finds a clearer spring 
or a better hunting-ground ; confiding in his own resources, 
or trusting to the bountiful providence of nature, to supply 
the few things needful for his support and comfort. As 
we rode up to the deserted camp, a lonely turkey-buzzard 
rose lazily from the mouth of the tent, and settled on a 
branch of a stunted pine hard by, where he sat quietly 
awaiting the departure of the intruders, to renew his 
search for some scraps of dried fish or venison on which 
to finish his scanty meal. No living thing was in sight 
save the foul carrion-bird we had driven from the desolate 
hearth, and silence reigned over the secluded spot lately 
the scene of strife and })]oodshed. As I looked upon the 
altered appearance of all before me, I called to mind the 



BT GEORGE A. McCALL. 65 

figure of the Indian, when, under the influence of his 
passion, it seemed to dilate to more than mortal size ; and 
the next moment the same manly figure, as disappoint- 
ment smote his deadly purpose to avenge a dastardly 
assault, fall dashed and confounded to the earth. I recalled 
with admiration the silent but all-daring devotion of the 
wife ; and with detestation the malignant and diabolical 
conduct and countenance of the Spaniard. 

'^ Where now," said I, addressing Bell for the first time 
since we had come upon the ground, '' are they who were 
the actors in this scene? — Has the Indian, with wljom 
revenge is a virtue, sought and found an opportunity to 
gratify the longings of his spirit, and requited the other 
with the death he himself escaped. Or has the Spaniard, 
still vindictive, followed the Mus-ko-ghe in his retreat, 
and perpetrated the foul vengeance that rankled in his 
bosom ? " 

Revolving these things in our minds, and exchanging 
our surmises, we turned our horses' heads towards the 
abode of Diego, in order to ascertain, if possible, the truth, 
or gain some clew to it. On reaching the hut, we at first 
discovered before a well-filled rack, under an open shed 
which occupied one corner of the enclosure, the pretty 
pony of the Spaniard, on whom he had bestowed the 
endearing appellation of Amado. 

"He cannot be far from home," said Bell, "for there is 
his pony, his constant companion in the woods." As we 
drew rein in front of the door, we were greeted with the 
harsh bark of a yellow bulldog of the Cuba breed, one 
of the fiercest and most indomitable of dogs ; whereupon 
the shining face of a comely French quadroon was thrust 
out at the half-open door and again withdrawn. Bell 
called out, inquiring if Diego were at home. The quad- 
roon again made her appearance, and replied to the 
inquiry in a rather ill-humored negative. 
0* E 



66 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

" Pray, when shall I find him at home/^ he asked. 

^' I cannot say/' was the brief reply. 

" I am very desirons to see him. Can you tell me 
whither he has gone ? '^ he continued, in a bland j)ersua- 
sive tone. 

" I know not/' was the curt answer. 

" When did he leave home ? '' he asked. 

" Some days ago/' she replied, evasively. 

" And you expect him back " 

" 3fon dieu ! monsieur, w^hat do you ask me for/' she 
replied, evidently growing impatient at Bell's persevering 
to prolong a conversation and an interview she had no 
desire to continue. 

" My husband, sir, does not tell me his business ! " and 
with a very decided " Bon jour, monsieur ^^ the French 
Creole closed and bolted the door. 

Finding the woman so obdurately uncommunicative, 
we rode on, satisfied that any further attempt to draw 
from her what she determined to conceal w^ould be fruit- 
less. Bell, who had always regarded Diego with a wary 
eye, remarked, that the conduct of the woman tended to 
increase his doubts as to the occupation of Diego ; that 
there w^as something about the man and his wife, which, 
if not criminal, at least sought concealment. But if he 
left home only two or three days before, the Indians, who 
evidently departed some eight days before him, were prob- 
ably safe." Discussing such matters, we reached the 
barracks in time for dinner. 



Pensacola, January, . 

Dear H : We are now in the midst of the Carni- 
val ! Believe me, I have been many days in a constant 
whirl of merry-makings with this simple and amiable 
people; with whom pranks of all sorts are tolerated 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 67 

during this season of license and excess; and practical 
jests are freely played upon friend or stranger without 
the least fear of giving offence. I must carry you back 
to the time when the long anticipated St. Stephen's day 
was ushered in with a sun of surpassing brightness. 

No holiday is so joyously welcomed by the volatile 
Creoles of Pensacola as the ^Teast of St. Stephen/^ which, 
coming on the 26th of December, is the commencement 
of the Carnival, and the opening of those scenes of mirth 
and festivity, wherein all classes of society indulge more 
or less the little propensions of their minds, without 
restraint and without fear of censure. They have from 
childhood been taught to look upon it as a season from 
which care should be banished, and over Avhich pleasure 
should preside. And those who with advancing years 
have become somewhat serious and stately, now strive to 
unbend, and to assume a countenance in unison with the 
more youthful and lively. On this occasion the Carnival 
was to open with a bed masque, or masked ball. 

On the morning of the 26th, by appointment, I called 
on Carlota to accompany her to the " magazine '' of 
Madame Louise, w ho had imported from New Orleans for 
the occasion a full assortment of dominos and masks. 
On entering her doors, we beheld what to my eyes was a 
rare display of gaudy apparel and distorted phizes, suit- 
able to the dresses of hermits, pilgrims, Turks, Indians, 
&c., together with others of softer features, intended to 
personate beauteous damsels, modest nuns, or blooming 
shepherdesses. It had been arranged that the fair sister 
of my friend Ferdinand and your humble servant should 
be mated for the evening. She selected a simple domino 
and mask, and I of course a similar one, neither of them 
requiring that the wearer should undertake to support 
any particular character. On reaching the upper end of 
the long show-room, we were shown into an inner apart- 



68 letters; from the frontiers, 

tnent of smaller size, where the lady of sarcenet and gauze, 
surrounded by her assistants, was engaged in altering or 
finishing dresses that had been bespoken. This room was 
hung round with various habiliments, so ranged upon the 
wall as to form an unbroken tapestry. All were paraded 
in the most showy and ostentatious manner, and their fixed 
eyes stared or smiled in inexpressive steadiness on each 
other and on the company. 

^^Mademoiselle Carlota,^' cried the lady presiding, "I 
am charmed to see you at last. Yesterday I was looking 
for you all day. All the ladies here; admiring, whisper- 
ing, walking round, choosing, and then telling me in my ear 
which to send home ; — (you know I always keep secrets !) 
Now, who do you suppose has taken that magnificent Turk- 
ish frock and trousers, and that splendid turban ? You may 
guess, but I must not tell you — though " (in a lower tone) 
^' I think one fine portly gentleman's heart will be quite 
gone when he sees her in that costume, with her small 
waist, and her pretty foot and round ankle peeping from 
under the trousers. What think you, Mademoiselle?'' 

'' I think," said Carlota, rather dryly, " the Colonel's 
heart is quite gone already." 

" 3Ton dieu! Mademoiselle," said the Avoman, laughing, 
" 1 did not say it was any Colonel ! I never disclose the 
secrets of my patrons." 

" I am well acquainted, Madame, with your name for 
fidelity in such matters," said Carlota, laughing in her 
turn ; " but I know but one lady whose small round waist 
and pretty foot Avould show to such advantage in the 
Sultana-dress, and I know but one portly gentleman who 
admires that lady." 

With this we took our leave of the loquacious Madame 
Louise, and returned to the home of Carlota, where I took 
my leave with a promise to wait upon her at an early 
liour in the evening. 



BT GEORGE A. McCALL. 69 

The appointed hour found us entering the assembly 
room. I had lieard and read so much of hah masques, 
that it cannot be denied my curiosity was excited to 
beliold the novel sight. When we entered, few of the 
masques had arrived, and those few were marching in 
stately silence from one end of the room to the other, 
looking more like ghosts of the departed that had but 
recently reached the dread domain of Pluto, and were 
there wandering about in search of some truant love or 
fugitive offender, than, like corporeal Christians, come 
together for diversion and enjoyment. However, it was 
not long before the room was filled ; the music struck up a 
lively air, which infused life and animation into all present. 
There were elevated seats on one side of the hall, to which 
spectators and those who had become fatigued with the 
exertions of the extravagant fandango or other fantastic 
dance, might retire until they had recovered sufficiently 
to return to the diversion. Carlota proposed that we 
should talvc seats here, that I might have a better view of 
the scene before us. 

While here seated a highly interested observer, I could 
not but think how pitiable it was to see that so few of the 
masquers even attempted to support the character to which 
the exterior they had assumed pertained. The disguise 
of exterior seemed soon to be penetrated or voluntarily 
thrown oif. Indeed, the quick eye of my fair companion 
soon detected most of her acquaintances, Avhom she pointed 
out to me. She said that a trifling singularity of manner, 
or the style of dancing, sometimes a single step, betrayed 
to her one of her every-day companions ; and in this way 
particular sets composed of persons well known to each 
other, get together, and enjoy themselves without for- 
mality and without restraint. And thus, indeed, it 
seemed to be ; for after the first few attempts at disguise 
were exhausted or detected, any further efibrt at conceal- 



70 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

ment was abandoned and mutual recognition followed. 
Thus, a gentleman approaches a lady and salutes her Avith 
^^Ah, beau masque! je vous connois;'^ and offering his arm, 
leads the willing fair one to join in the dance. Sometimes, 
however, I witnessed the passage of arms between tAvo 
valiant champions well sustained to the last. After 
admiring the tout ensemble for some time, our attention 
was attracted to the chattering of two rival Harlequins, 
who had entered into a contest for the palm of superiority, 
directly in front of us. Their dance was the fandango, 
wdiich they footed to the discordant music of their own 
voices, and the quick, clicking accompaniment of their 
sharp-toned castanets. Their light and easy carriage of 
the body in springing from the floor, and their quick and 
gliding movements, as they mutually advanced and retired, 
were truly surprising, and soon brought a crowd around 
them to witness the performance. The applause of the 
spectators encouraged them to renewed exertions, and their 
attitudes became more and more extravagant, till, in order 
to draw forth a fresh peal of applause, they frequently fell 
into such ridiculous postures that it was Avith the greatest 
difficulty they recovered their equilibrium. Still they 
resumed the contest Avith greater exertions, and for a time 
it seemed doubtful aa hich of the diamond-gentlemen Avould 
be the victor. At length, hoAACA^er, Fortune, Avho so often 
interferes and terminates the struggle betAveen Avell- 
matchecl combatants, caused the heels of the larger and 
more vigorous knight, somehoAV or other, to fly up, and 
laid him spraAvling at full length on the floor, Avhich 
reverberated from the violence of the shock. The cruel 
burst of delight Avhich at this mishap came from the 
by-standers, quite overAA'helmed the unfortunate dancer, 
AAdio, hastily making his Avay through the croAvd, left the 
palm to his lighter, or more agile, or more fortunate 
competitor. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 71 

Their places were immediately taken by another and 
very different couple. A little, old, gray-headed, shriv- 
elled Frenchman led into the area just vacated a young, 
sylph-like shepherdess, and, gracefully and profoundly 
bowing to her, commenced the fandango. He was not in 
mask, and his face, as well as his garb, proclaimed him not 
far above the working-class, yet his air and manner had 
the dignity and polish of a man of higher degree. The 
face of his partner was concealed by a black silk shade, 
through two round holes in which a pair of bright eyes 
sparkled, and her costume was one that displayed to the 
best advantage a lithe and youthful figure. The beauty 
of this dance consists in assuming the various postures, 
attitudes, and gestures expressive of the feelings the dancer 
wishes to exhibit towards his partner. The advances of 
the old gentleman were at first ceremonious, and marked 
with respectful consideration ; they were received by his 
youthful partner with great assumed timidity and maiden 
coyness. As the dance progressed, the spirit of both was 
aroused, and the gray-beard evinced all the impassioned 
vehemence of a youthful adorer. His tantalizing partner 
now enticed him by the graceful display of a fairy foot 
and half the lower limb, or allured him with outstretched 
arms ; and then, at the moment he seemed about to clasp 
her, she would elude his attempt with a skill and agility 
that were truly surprising. 

By this time, throughout the room, all seemed confu- 
sion. Recognitions so numerous had taken place that the 
most incongruous and ill-matched parties or couples were 
sauntering on the parade, and idly chatting, or perhaps 
freely criticising the beauty or the character of some one 
of the motley crowd, who, now fatigued with the dance, 
were strolling round the room awaiting the announcement 
of supper. Here were the Turk and the Jew arm-in-arm ; 
there an Indian chief with a shepherdess ; the monk and 



72 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

the merry-andrew, laughing at their own jests ; an old 
woman is flirting with a boy ; and a blanketed squaw is 
followed, flattered, and courted by a powdered beau of the 
past century. 

Carlota now proposed that we should join in the prom- 
enade. We had scarcely reached the floor, when an 
elderly mask, who had been a pestilent annoyance to many 
of the passers-by with his witty or sarcastic remarks, and 
still preserving w^ith wonderful skill his incognitOy touched 
my shoulder and whispered in my ear his name. It was 
Captain Bell himself; he was dressed as an old man, with 
an ashy-pale and haggard face. While he spoke to me, 
an Indian chief of noble proportions advanced and thus 
accosted him, — 

"Ah, Paleface ! what brings you here ? you seem to take 
pleasure in saying rude impertinencies. One of your com- 
plexion has no business here ; you infest this bright, glar- 
ing region with that ashy face of yours.^' 

Indeed, the glare of the lamps gave a deathlike pallor 
to the lank features of the mask. Bell answered mildly : 

'^ The novelty and gayety of the scene is amusing to a 
stranger, and the pleasure is enhanced by the easy freedom 
which seems to be licensed by the wearing of a painted 
face.'^ 

" You ap23ear, sir,'' rejoined the other, " to enter upon 
the duties of the evening with becoming gravity, and you 
doubtless enjoy the elevated sentiment and reflned com- 
merce of the hal masque, as much as you seem to contribute 
to their augmentation." 

This was uttered contemptuously, and with a sweeping 
bow that was evidently intended to annihilate the person 
addressed. 

'^ Jtemercie, beau masque/' returned Bell, repaying the 
bow with interest, " you are very polite, and your atten- 
tion would be the more flattering did it not come from one 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 73 

who is as noted for his dexterity in circulating false coin 
as he is celebrated for coining false compliments." 

" How, sir ! " said the mask, greatly irritated by this 
last thrust; "recollect you are addressing a gentleman, and 
there are bounds even here for trespassing beyond Avhich 
the mask and domino are no shield.'' 

" Gardez vous meme, beau masque, je vous connais hien,^ 
replied Bell, tauntingly. " I have you at my mercy ; to 
expose you in your true colors to this gay assembly re- 
quires but one word from me ; but, adieu, beau masquej^ 

" Stop, sir ! " interrupted the mask, confronting Bell 
with a determined air; "we part not thus. You have 
made a remark this evening which neither your acquaint- 
ance with me can authorize, nor your age, if a stranger, can 
justify. I insist on your recalling the expression before 
you leave this spot." 

This was spoken in a very audible voice, and attracted 
the attention of those who were passing at the moment. 
Finding himself an object of scrutiny to the by-standers, 
Bell at once assumed a different tone from that of badinage 
which he had hitherto used, and turning upon the other, 
with determination expressed in his manner, said, in a 
calm, clear voice, — 

" I am surj^rised, sir, that you should have the assurance 
to address to me such language, even under cover of a 
mask ; and I repeat, in the presence of this company, that 
you are a counterfeiter ! " 

While Bell pronounced the last emphatic words, there 
was a firmness and dignity in his manner that for an in- 
stant checked the haughtiness of the arrogant mask, stilled 
the giddy mirth of the young and thoughtless standing by, 
and communicated a sobriety of mien to all around. The 
mask attempted to speak ; but, whether choked with rage 
or overcome by some other j^assion or emotion, he failed 
to give utterance to his feelings. Then, the next moment. 
7 



74 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

tearing suddenly the pasteboard from his face, discovered 
the flushed features, compressed lips, and bloodshot eyes 
of Ferdinand Oreo, fixed full upon Bell. 

" Now, sir,^' he, at length gulping his passion, rather 
roared than said, " dare you repeat what you have said ? ^' 

Bell w^as shocked at the appearance of his friend ; and 
instantly regretting that he had inflicted so severe a blow 
on him in return for the trifling annoyance he had himself 
endured, but still sustained by that presence of mind 
which under no contingency ever left him, he deliberately 
unmasked ; and advancing to his friend, with all his manly 
good-nature beaming in his countenance, took Ferdinand 
by the hand, and addressing the numerous by-standers 
whom the affair had already collected around them, in a 
calm voice said, — 

^' Ladies and gentlemen, I appeal to you whether my 
friend has not counterfeited the Indian chief to perfec- 
tion?'' 

This happy turn which Bell gave to what had like to 
have become a serious affair, at once changed the face of 
things, and the applause which followed was not altogether 
without its effect upon Ferdinand, who was more gratified 
by the acknowledgment of the triumph of his skill, than 
annoyed by the exposure of his loss of temper. The 
friends heartily shook hands, and the affair terminated 
with a slight reproof to Ferdinand, her brother, by the 
sagacious Carlota. 

Supper was now announced, and the managers of the 
entertainment, aloud, requested the company to unmask 
before entering the banqueting-room. As Carlota and 
your humble servant filed into the procession, we found 
ourselves immediately in rear of a distinguished couple, a 
Mr. Bruce Wallace and his bride. Mr. Wallace, a gen- 
uine descendant of one of Scotland's noblest sons, was a 
gentleman who stood six feet four in his pumps, gaunt and 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 75 

raw-boned, with a large head, a long face, in which the 
nose was a very prominent feature, and straight, sandy 
hair. His complexion was almost a brickdust color, being 
frightfully scarred and pitted with small-pox. Yet, being 
very rich, he had recently married a blooming Vv^idow, and 
had come from New Orleans, his residence, to pass the 
honeymoon in the delightful climate of Florida. He had 
appeared this evening in a simple domino and mask, to 
amuse himself for a few hours in noting the manners of 
the gay Creoles. He had at once obeyed the command to 
unmask, and was moving on quietly, with his bride on his 
arm, when the manager, who stood at the door of the 
supper-room, a young French Creole, casting his eyes on 
the lantern-jaws, high cheek-bones, red hair, and hideous 
complexion of the Scot, supposing that the latter had been 
guilty of an infringement of the regulations of the assem- 
bly, politely requested Monsieur to unmask. The blood 
of all the Bruces and Wallaces rose to the forehead of the 
Scot, as he turned upon the young Creole' a countenance 
decidedly more hideous than any mask he had had the 
fortune to gaze upon in the course of that evening, the 
features and expression having been rendered more fiend- 
like by what the proud Bruce imagined was intended to 
be an insult. He simply uttered, in a smothered tone, — 
''Sir?'' that seemed to come from the bottom of the 
deep, and glared upon the bowing Creole with eyes that 
shot forth an unearthly light. 

'' I have the honor to inform Monsieur,'' repeated the 
manager, " that the rules of this assembly require every 
one to unmask before supper." 

'' AVhat d'ye mean, sirrah?" ejaculated Wallace. 

" I assure you. Monsieur, reiterated the manager, " that 
the rules are perfectly imperative on this point, and admit 
of no exceptions." 

The Scot seemed bursting with rage and the exertion 



76 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

it required to keep his fingers from the throat of the 
Creole. He paused a moment, then stepping forward in 
a direction that threw the whole light of a chandelier full 
upon his face, he said, — 

"Hark ye, sir, were I not persuaded that ye are — " 

" 3Io7i cUeii ! " cried the manager, interrupting this 
incipient denunciation, and stepping quickly forward he 
seized the hand of Mr. Wallace in both of his, and im- 
ploringly said, — " Mille 'pardonSy Monsieur ; my sight 
serves me badly in this dazzling light, and I had taken 
you for my friend Sylvester, who is about your height ; " 
and stepping aside, he bowed the fierce North Briton 
into the banqueting room. As we passed in, follow- 
ing this distinguished couple, Carlota whispered to me, — 

'^How strange ! '' — but directly after said, "I have not 
seen anywhere our friend JNIadame La Fleur or the gallant 
Colonel, who is acknowledged to be the fortunate rival of 
Mr. Norton." 

We were, however, scarcely placed at the table, when 
we perceived standing nearly opposite, in full voluptuous 
but not overgrown bulk, the figure of our friend La Fleur, 
in all the glory of the Sultana-costume. Her heart like a 
ripe peach seemed ready to fall into the hands of the 
gallant Englishman. 

At length the pleasures of the table, like all worldly 
pleasures, terminated ; and the music again summoned the 
dancers to the ball-room. I had now the satisfaction, or, 
I should say, the enjoyment of a delightful w^altz w^ith 
Carlota, after which she complained of fatigue, and I 
accompanied her home. 

When seated alone in my own quarters, I passed over 
in my mind the varied scenes I had witnessed in one little 
night, which, as I dwelt upon them in succession, seemed 
to me the history of an age. The whole thing far exceeded 
my most sanguine expectations. There was certainly 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 77 

great want of what you would call refinement ; ])ut there 
was a spirit, a warmth of sentiment, perhaps you will say 
of mundane pleasurableness, that greatly compensated in 
my opinion for the want of it. When imagination, dear 
PI, has painted a scene in anticipation, how often are we 
disappointed, when time at length brings that scene in its 
true colors before us ! How dim appear the hues of 
reality when com})ared with the bright tints in which the 
mind had previously presented the picture to our view. 
I confess I was not only amused but delighted with the 
Bal masque, though not the most refined divertisement. 

Let us, dear H, justly estimate the enjoyments of the 
passing hour, assured that the visions of the morroAV will 
be as sadly clogged with earthly reality as are the verities 
of the passing day. 



Cantonment Clinch, January 20. 

Dear H : The morning after the Bal masque j the 

military duties of the* forenoon having been discharged, 
I rode out alone. It was a beauteous day as ever the sun 
lighted up in the glorious clime of Florida. The heavens, 
except here and there a small fleecy cloud, were clear and 
serene, unruffled and undisturbed by the breath of a 
zephyr. At the same time the air was light and elastic, 
and of that happy temperature which, inducing a calm 
repose of the physical faculties, and leading the mind to 
indulge in a dreamy tranquillity, causes the mere conscious- 
ness of existence to become an unspeakable delight. Such, 
my friend, is the effect of an atmospheric influence experi- 
enced here, which is known in no other part of the conti- 
nent. I gave a loose rein to my mare and allowed her to 
ramble at will along the by-paths of the pine forest. 
After passing an hour delightfully in this way, I returned 
to town, and made my call of ceremony on the lovely 



78 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Carlota, and after learning that the fatigues of the evening 
had left no impression on the spirits or the cheek of the 
fair one, I passed half an hour in discussiiig with her the 
varied adventures of this, to me, most novel and strange 
sight, I took my leave. On the Plaza I met Capt. Bell, 
who called my attention to a party of French Creoles, 
that were busily and very noisily engaged at the farther 
side of the square. 

" Those volatile creatures," he said, ^^ that you see at 
work, bent upon participating in every species of amuse- 
ment and pleasure which the Carnival, the season of 
licensed indulgence, not only tolerates but encourages, 
seem at last clogged with sensual gratification, and are, as 
you perceive, preparing to solace their wearied faculties by 
^une petite recreation raisoncible.^ In short, they are erect- 
ing a theatre, where they purpose this evening to regale 
the public with the performance of ' la comcdie pas de tout 
wferieure.'^^ Looking in the direction to which the Cap- 
tain pointed, I saw quite a number of persons at work, 
and at the same time talking and laughing with great 
vivacity ; and through whose united exertions a vast 
pavilion of heterogeneous materials was rapidly coming 
into shape. As we approached, we perceived that the 
walls of the building were slightly constructed of rough 
boards, while the sails of several foreign as well as Ameri- 
can vessels contributed to the formation of the canvas 
dome, which reared its white crest above. 

And here, mingled with this jovial party of Creoles, 
certain individuals, whom national prejudice or personal 
interest had taught to scan each other's movements with 
wariness and suspicion, were brought together in unjarring 
unity of purpose by the magic wand of the "Goddess of 
Pleasured' Vive la bagatelle! was the motto of the hour; 
and the winning charm of the Creole's manner won into 
the chorus of his song the voices of both the tenacious 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 79 

Briton and the proud Spaniard. All were voluntarily 
employed in effecting the purpose of his "belle folie.^^ 
The principal directors on the occasion were Manuel 
Eicaneur and Pierre Le Rocher. The former was short 
and rather stout, with a ruddy complexion, and a wild, 
dark eye ; famed for his skill in a horse-trade, and equally 
adroit in escaping with a whole skin from all sorts of 
scrapes into which his gallantry or love of mischief led 
him. He was one of the principal performers of the Thes- 
pian Corps. The latter, without any talent for the stage, 
had more daring, equal fondness for mischief, and it was 
universally conceded that no popular misdoing could be 
conducted on orthodox principles without his presence. 

Captain Bell having promised to remain to see the 
piece, he dined with me at the hotel. At the table, after 
some conversation respecting the extravagant license and 
the excesses indulged in, during the Carnival, in Catholic 
countries, I remarked that scenes of indulgence similar to 
those enacted under the favoring toleration of the Romish 
Church immediately preceding Lent, the period of humil- 
iation and mortification of the flesh, history had taught us 
were noted or observed, from the earliest days of which 
She files the record, as enacted on the approach of death 
when brought face to face with us in the form of raging 
pestilence, sweeping off the brightest and dearest of those 
around us, and threatening to make ourselves the next 
victims of its unrelenting violence. And it is because all 
evils, but more particularly death, are viewed with greater 
terror at a distance than when they are brought, even in 
their most frightful shapes, immediately before our eyes. 
Thucydides tells us that during the greatest horrors of the 
plagues at Athens, men were more unfeeling, more profli- 
gate than at any other time. And so it has been, as we 
learn from various accounts in the large cities on the coast 
of the ^Mediterranean, when subject to such devastating 
visitations. 



80 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Bell replied : '^ Last summer I was ordered to New 
Orleans on duty, which would detain me about a week. 
On arriving I found the yellow fever raging there; it 
had aj^peared suddenly with great violence, and, however 
unwilling I might be to encounter such a foe, there was 
nothing to be done but to discharge my duty faithfully. 
Hundreds were swept oif daily by the dire disease ; yet, 
even at its worst period, the men I met w^ith, though they 
saw their companions hourly dying before their eyes, seemed 
to become more given to immorality in its worst forms as 
the prospect of death approached them. There was more 
drinking, more gambling, more vice, more debauchery of 
the most loathsome and hideous cast than I had ever 
before dreamed could enter the mind of man. Even 
while paying the last tribute to their best friends, they 
grew more reckless as their chance of following them 
increased. 

" AUons, Messieurs !^^ cried Captain Wolf; "to the 
theatre, — the hour has arrived, and vive la comedie is the 
word." 

To the theatre we then went, one and all. The even- 
ing was mild ; and the fragile edifice, now decorated and 
lighted, might pass for a commodious and comfortable 
theatre. On entering we found an audience, as eager as 
motley, and impatiently awaiting the raising of the cur- 
tain. The interior^ to be sure, was not divided into box, 
pit, and lobby ; yet the front seats seemed by common con- 
sent conceded to the better classes, and there was a marked 
and essential, though but a nominal line, which separated 
them from those of more humble station, as, for example, 
the retiring and inoffensive quadroon women, who, quietly 
seated in the rear, thought not of making themselves con- 
spicuous. The seats of the former had been rendered as 
commodious and comfortable as the hasty construction of 
the building would admit of. The latter, in the rear and 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 81 

more elevated, commanded a view of the company assem- 
bled to witness the performance, as well as the stage. 
Among the occupants of the last seats, raised some six or 
eight feet from the ground, was seated, with many others 
of her class, a very fair quadroon damsel, possessing a 
bulk and rotundity of person hitherto unsung, and until 
now unknown within the circle of her cast. She was 
arrayed in a dress of calico of the brightest dyes ; and her 
fair, round face was surmounted w^ith a flaming red ban- 
dana a la turban. On. the same seat w^ere several sol- 
diers, in one of whom, remarkable for his lank figure, thin 
face, and large goggle eyes, I recognized our mess-waiter, 
O'Donnelly. He was seated next the fat lady, and appeared 
to be scanning the portentous proportions of his neighbor 
with wondering eyes. At last, uttering an involuntary 
grunt of admiration, in which was mingled no small spice 
of indefinite aversion, he recoiled from her vicinity as far 
as the crowded state of the house would allow. While I 
was making this survey of the audience, the curtain rose ; 
the performance proceeded, and timely applause kept up 
the spirits and confidence of the actors. The piece chosen 
was a French comedy, and of a character in keeping with 
the taste of the time. All was going well, and the ap- 
proval of the players, as well as the play, was announced 
from all parts of the house, when a brawling British tar, 
seated three benches in front of the fat lady, and who, in 
nautical phrase, had drunk himself full '' three sheets in the 
wind/' began to manifest his contempt for the mummery 
of the '^ 3TounsJieers'' in a very audible soliloquy. At 
last, no longer able to endure the enacting of a piece of 
which he understood not a single word, or perchance over- 
come by protracted thirst, he rose from his scat, stretched 
himself, and having disburdened his cheek of an enor- 
mous quid, tluis delivered his sentiments in a tone that 
drowned the voices of the actors : 

F 



82 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

^' Stage ahoy!'' cried he^ fixing his gaze full upon the 
astonished Thespians, who in mute amazement turned 
their regards, together with the whole house, upon the 
speaker. ^' Stage ahoy! I say. What's your play called? 
I ' ve seen many a better one aboard ship ; and it 's rather 
long between drinks here, so I'm oiF." 

Having thus vented his contempt, he stepped upon his 
seat, and with the agility and aplomb of a foretopman, 
bounded over the heads of the intervening spectators, and 
alighted in full force on the hindmost bench between the 
large lady and O'Donnelly . The whole seat gave way with 
a loud crash, and the fair quadroon, in an eifort to save 
herself, seized O'Donnelly by the shoulder, and thus draw- 
ing him towards herself, brought him to the ground 
under her, and he lay upon his back with the heaviest 
part of her fair person directly over his face. There had 
been one sudden disruption of timber, one scream of 
terror, and the whole mass of shattered material and help- 
less humanity lay in a confused heap. Dismal notes of 
woe now issued from the dark motley in every diiferent 
key of the all-expressive human voic€. The performance 
was interrupted, and men hastened, prompted by humane 
feelings or by curiosity, to the scene of the calamity. 
Some of the unfortunate wretches were dragged forth, 
while others crawled out of the ruins, and the hubbub of 
the instant was subsiding into wailings and lamentations. 
Amidst the broken boards and rafters lay immovable the 
fat quadroon. Corporal Canteen and one or two of his 
comrades manfully laid hold of her ladyship, and 
attempted to raise her off the luckless O'Donnelly, but 
they lugged and tugged in vain, till, hearing the half- 
smothered subterranean-like groans of the poor Irishman, 
the two then seized him by the heels, and fairly jerked 
him out from his steamy and perilous situation. 

" Well, man," cried the Corporal, after the Hibernian 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 83 

had been set upon his legs, " how is it wi' ye ? tell me, are 
ye hurt ? '' 

*^ Uh ! uh!'^ articulated the other, in the most doleful 
accents. ^^ Corporal, I'm not just dead; but I've been 
smothered in beauty. Uh ! to think that I 've lived all 
my life a single man, to die such a death at last. Uh ! 
sorroAv's the day ! but if I get over this, which I don't 
expect to do, I'll keep clear of them sort of tempters, I 
will." 

Tranquillity was however at last restored ; the wounded 
were mustered, and it was happily ascertained that no 
bones were broken. The fat lady was escorted home by 
a bevy of bons amis, and the disconsolate Irishman 
restored to his wonted good-humor ; but the ill-starred tar 
who had caused all the mischief, having taken advantage 
of the momentary confusion, had made his escape, and 
was nowhere to be found. The play was resumed, and 
played out without further interruption. 



Cantonment Clinch, February i. 

Dear H : Some time has passed, since the date of 

my last, without the occurrence of any incident worth 
recording. But during the last three days of the Carni- 
val (which, thank Heaven, is now passed) folly reigned 
with unbounded sway. Horse-racing and street-carousing 
were the universal pastimes, until Mardi Gras (Shrove 
Tuesday) brought to a close the crying dissipations of 
sensual indulgence of the period. The Carnival is ended, 
and Lent, in Catholic countries, the season of bile and 
melancholy, the consequence of gormandizing and long- 
.'ontinued and unnatural excitement,- commences. We 
cannot now fail to acknowledge that after such excesses, 
forty days of abstinence and retirement are as requisite to 
restore the disordered stomach and repair the shattered 



84 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

nerves as prayer and repentance are for the salvation of the 
soul of sinful man. As fasting is a ritual observance that 
was originally instituted in the East, — in a land where 
abstinence is the only safeguard against the fierce and con- 
suming heat of the climate in spring, — and at an age 
when to the sacred office of the priest was added that of 
the physician, it would appear that the rite was established 
with a care for the temporal as well as the spiritual 
welfare of the people. 

On the evening of Ma7'di Gras, while sitting at the 
hotel, in a listless reverie, my attention was attracted 
by the distant noise of voices and discordant laughter. 
On going to the door, I beheld a confused crowd of oddly 
attired persons, with tapers in their hands, moving, down 
the street. Now, what can be the meaning of this ? I 
asked myself. The clamor and violent gesticulation 
seemed to warrant the belief that no great harmony of 
feeling prevailed amongst them, but anon another general 
burst of laughter evinced the fact that munnnery and 
good-humor prevailed. 

The crowd soon arrived in front of the hotel, when I 
discovered that many of the individuals were in mask and 
the figures of most of them were more or less fantastically 
decorated. Their object at the moment appeared to be to 
extinguish each others tapers, and to guard their own. 
Conspicuous in the i^arty was a tall man with an enormous 
gilded chapeau, who, in endeavoring to evade the pursuit 
of an equally tall person in female apparel, had fallen 
backwards over an old African woman who was passing 
through the crowd. A shout of laughter followed this 
accident. The tall gentleman quickly regained his feet 
and recovered his mask, Avhich had fallen oif. Mortified 
by the exposure, the tall knight dashed upon and closely 
pursued the Amazon, who retreated with her face always 
to the foe. She kept her fierce assailant at arm's length ; 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 85 

and bearing her taper aloft in the left hand, bore down all 
op})osition by the energy and ra})idity of her movements. 
Still she retreated, watching the hero of the cha[)eau with a 
steady eye, as if only awaiting an unguarded moment, 
which her surpassing strength and agility would enable 
her to ])rofit by. 

This oj)portunity occurred the next moment, when by 
a dexterous movement she succeeded in extingulsliing 
her opponent's taper, and swiftly darted out of sight. 
The boldness of this achievement left on my mind a strong 
doubt as to the sex of the masked. The game was con- 
tinued with unabated spirit as they progressed down the 
street, until turning into Palafox Street they were lost to 
my view. 

How long this fantastic game — this frivolous farewell 
to sensual gratification and unbridled licentiousness was 
carried on, I know not. The prac^ticc; mak(!s but too 
manifest the levity of the human mind. In the primeval 
ages, man was prompted to ])ropitiate the Deity by sacrifi- 
cial oiferings and purificatious. In after-ages came fasts, 
penances, and abstinence from pleasure ; but as time 
passed and the sons of men became wiser and more worldly, 
they were unwilling, it would seem, to take upon them- 
selves the sobrieties of life for forty days without an 
equivalent ; and hence the Carnival. 

But enough of this. I must bid you ^^huenos noches/ 
dear friend ; and at the same time take leave of the Carne- 
vale, or farewell to flesh. 



Cantonment Clinch, February. 

Deak it : A fortnight has passed, into which has 

been crowded a more than usual amount of military duties 
of minor importance ; and this must be my excuse for a 
longer interval between my letters. An accident, how- 

8 



86 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

ever, which a few days ago brought us acquainted with a 
mysterious Spaniard, from the Island of Cuba, is not 
without interest ; as it exhibits in strong colors a glaring 
trait in the character of people of his class in that island. 
To begin at the beginning, I must tell you, that, having at 
last a day of privilege or immunity from the irksome 
duties of the garrison, I had promised to pass the day I 
have named at the Barrancas, with my kind friend Captain 
Bell. Accordingly I immediately after breakfast was at 
his door ; his beautiful mare was brought out, and we set 
out on our journey without further delay. The day, as 
usual, was bright and cheering to the spirits. As we left 
the pine forest and approached " le Bayou G7'ande,^' the 
face of the country lately so richly variegated in hue, was 
now reduced to a sober brown by the pressure of winter's 
hand, albeit his icy fingers but tenderly touch the plants 
of this genial clime. The scene would have been sombre, 
despite the relief shed over it by the bright and polished 
green of the occasional clumps of the Redbay-tree, had not 
the heavens above been serene and smiling. 

On arriving at the beach, we observed at some distance 
a long pirogue, or canoe, such as is used by fishermen on 
the coast of the Gulf. The mast was stepped, and the tall 
sail swung loosely on the gunwale ; while two persons, 
standing in the water alongside, were leaning over the 
boat, as if stowing away a seine or some kind of freight. 
On shore there were two others; the one on horseback 
was well dressed ; the other, who wore the broad palmetto 
hat of a fisherman, was on foot. Willing to break the 
monotony of the ride by a few moments' conversation with 
the rude wanderers of the Gulf coast, we turned our 
horses' heads in the direction of the party. As we ap- 
proached, the horseman turned his steed towards the head 
of the bayou. Again he stopped, apparently impressing 
some final injunction on his companion; then waving his 



BY GEOEGE A. McCALL. 87 

hand as if bidding adieu, he put spur, and soon disap-^ 
peared in a thicket of yapon-bushes. We rode slowly 
up, and saluting the fisherman with a "Buenos cUas, Se~ 
nores/' were not a little surprised to detect in the person 
w^ho was in conference Avith the horseman no less a person- 
age than our quondam acquaintance Diego Rojo, who very 
coolly returned my salutation. He was giving directions 
to the two men — who, at a glance, we perceived were half- 
breed Indians — respecting the stowage of the boat. 

" Well met, Diego,'' said Captain Bell, in his mild, 
familiar way. 

" Yes, Seiior," returned Diego, rather turning away ; 
" a poor fisherman may not rest at this season when the 
tide serves. A single haul of redfish will not furnish him 
with bread and coffee for a week." 

''Aye, truly," returned Bell ; " but you have other re- 
sources more productive than the clear shoals of the Per- 
dido, which doubtless supply you with the best berry of 
Cuba, as well as with the most fragrant leaf; " indicating, 
by a slight motion of his riding-whip, the cigar that occu- 
pied the Spaniard's mouth. 

Diego turned, and slowly removing the cigar from his 
mouth, fixed his eye for a moment upon the Captain's 
countenance. But his suspicions, whatever they were, 
w^ere removed by the expression of the calm eye that met 
his own ; and having sent a volume of smoke from his 
mouth and nostrils, he asked, in his habitual quiet man- 
ner, — 

" How, Senor, can a man, whose home is ever in the 
woods or on the fishing-grounds, Avhose only care is his 
cattle, whose only toil is at the seine, — how can he contrive 
to make more than a frugal subsistence ? " 

Diego now turned towards the boat, and in a quick tone 
of voice repeated his orders to his red comrades ; and ro- 
ceiviug answer that all things were arranged, he made a 



88 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

hasty a dios, saying he must be oif at once or lose the 
tide. I now observed that his feet were bare and his pan- 
taloons rolled up as he walked out to his boat, some ten 
paces from the shore. Having entered the ^^ pirogue, ^^ he 
seated himself in the stern, and the two Indians having 
taken their paddles, the little bark swept smoothly out to 
a distance from the shore, where the tall sail would " drmc '' 
or catch the wind. As we rode on, and crossed the mouth 
of the bayou, which is here full half a mile wide, my eyes 
followed the dark sail, which was soon to be seen swiftly 
gliding past the Barrancas. A ride of two miles further 
brought us to the fort where, in due season, we dined with 
the officers of an artillery company stationed there. After 
dinner we all strolled out upon the parapets of the fort. 
Here, gazing upon the spacious bay, we distinguished lay- 
ing at anchor, off the western point of the bay, a small 
schooner of about ten tons burden. At the same time we 
noticed a horseman coming down towards the beach oppo- 
site to where the fishing-craft lay. As he drew up upon 
the beach, a canoe, that Avas swinging at the stern of the 
little schooner, was cast loose and was brought to the shore 
by two of the crew. One of these men stepped out and 
held the horse, while the rider, whose fine figure was 
remarkable even at that distance, entered the boat, and in 
a few minutes sprang on board the little vessel. He was 
met, as he came upon deck, by a man whose medium 
dimensions and large " sombrero,'' or hat, w^e at once recog- 
nized as those of Diego. Bell whispered to me, " Do you 
recognize him ? '' On my replying in the affirmative, the 
Captain said no more. But soon after this we took our 
leave. When we had left the fort, the Captain opened 
the conversation, — 

" I have for some time had my suspicions aroused, and 
I should not be surprised to find this fellow connected in 
some way or other with the pirates who infest the waters 



BY GEORGE A. Mc.CALL. 89 

of the Gulf. We '11 pay a visit to the fellow's cabin, and 
see how affairs look there." 

Thus saying, as we reached the eastern shore of the 
bayou, he touched the noble animal he rode with the spur, 
and the next moment we were bounding through the 
bushes towards the reputed fisherman's cabin. A half 
hour's ride brought us to the " clearing,^^ and the enclo- 
sure which was denominated the Spaniard's garden. But 
the house was shut up, and no living animal, dog, cat, or 
domestic fowl, gave signs that it was inhabited ; not even 
a light curl of smoke from the mud chimney indicated the 
presence of the woman Avithin. The frail clap-board shed, 
which sufficed as stable for Diego's pony, was vacant, and 
the rack was empty. A single, sober turkey-buzzard, 
perched upon a stunted pine-tree near the house, seemed 
to watch in silent sadness over the forsaken premises ; or, 
quietly wrapt in his own meditations, was patiently await- 
ing the daily meal wdiich the scanty leavings of the table 
afforded him. Turning our horses' heads towards the 
Cantonment, we soon struck a trail Avhich intersected the 
main trace from the Barrancas to Pensacola, and to Camp 
Clinch, the military station, at the distance of some two 
miles below the former. We had ridden rapidly, and, 
on suddenly emerging from the thicket into the open road, 
we came unexpectedly upon a horseman who was travel- 
ling the road which w^e have said led past the camp, or 
cantonment, to the town of Pensacola. The horse upon 
which this person rode, alarmed at our approach, started 
forward, and his forefoot catching under a root of the red 
or saw palmetto, he pitched heavily forward upon his 
head. His rider was thrown, and fell with violence upon 
his head and shoulder. 

The Captain, who had been leading as we threaded the 
narrow path through the thicket, instantly drew up his 
white mare. The fallen horse staggered up, gave the deep 
8* 



90 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS. 

trumpeting snort of aifright; but the next moment, reas- 
sured by a glance at the object of his alarm, turned and 
smelled at the shoulder of his prostrate rider, whose manly 
form was stretched senseless before him. Bell at once dis- 
mounted, and, with my assistance, removed the man to 
the foot of a large tree near the trace, where he raised the 
head of the unfortunate upon his knee. Presently the 
stranger opened his large, dark eyes with a bewildered 
look, and endeavored to raise himself, but sank back again 
into BelPs arms. The wounded man closed his eyes, and 
uttered in a faint but calm voice, "At any time but thisT' 

"I fear you are seriously injured," said the Captain, in 
a soothing voice. " How is it with you, my friend ? " 

Without noticing the question the Captain had kindly 
asked, the man turned his languid, half-closed eyes upon 
the horse, and while his broad brow contracted with a 
savage fierceness, "he muttered to himself, "May curses 
light upon thy floundering limbs, — at this moment, of all 
others, to be played so foul a trick ! But pardon me, fair 
sir," he continued in a bland tone, " if fate should scowl 
upon me e'en in this, 'twill not be the first time I've 
endured her frown. Kind sir, may I crave your assist- 
ance, if you have time at your disposal, to catch that ill- 
starred animal, and help to reinstate me in the saddle ; for 
I find my back and shoulders are more roughly jolted 
than I at first imagined." 

"You may command me most freely," returned the 
Captain, "in any way that I can serve you; for your mis- 
fortune is fairly chargeable at my door; my sudden and 
unlooked-for dash into the road having caused the fall of 
your hoi'se. We are but a hundred yards or so from the 
cantonment to your right; yo'u may see the barracks 
through the trees; and I must insist on carrying you to 
my quarters, where the Surgeon will examine your inju- 
ries, and make such applications as may seem necessary 
Nay, I will admit no excuse whatever." 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 91 

So saying, tne Captain turned towards tlie horse, which, 
to the surprise of us both, our attention having been 
wholly given to the rider, proved to be no other than 
Diego's pony, Amado. Bell made no other comment at 
this discovery than a significant glance at myself. He 
approached the spiteful Amado, who was quietly brows- 
ing the wild spice-wood, and who suifered himself to be 
taken without further manifestation of displeasure than 
maliciously laying back his ears and showing his teeth. 
We then, with no little difficulty, having assisted the 
stranger to mount, rode slowly, on either side affording 
support, until we reached the Captain's quarters. He 
was at once placed upon the Captain's bed, and the Sur- 
geon was sent for. The messenger soon returned with the 
report that the Surgeon had been suddenly taken ill with 
cholera morbus from eating an unripe pineapple, and was 
in bed, attended by the Hospital Steward. The Captain 
directed that his hostler Jupiter should at once mount a 
horse, and go after Surgeon Coburn. The man informed 
him that Jupiter had ridden to Pensacola to make some 
purchases for the stable. Bell's vexation was appar- 
ent to me, although he said nothing; and I at once 
declared I would mount my mare, and have the little 
Doctor on the spot in the shortest time possible. With- 
out waiting to hear anything further from Bell, I sprang 
on my mare, and clapping the spurs to her flanks, was 
soon on my way to town. On arriving at the Doctor's 
quarters, I was directed to the hospital. Here I found 
my esteemed friend, the little fat surgeon, stripped to the 
elbows, standing at the head of a long table on which lay 
the corpse of a soldier; while at hand was a set of glit- 
tering dissecting instruments. The Doctor, on learning 
the state of affairs at the Cantonment, assured me he would 
accompany me without a moment's delay. 

Jupiter, who had returned to his master's by a different 



92 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

route, almost at the instant I left, and who had been sent, 
with a flea in his ear, after myself, now showed his eager 
face at the door. The Surgeon still held in his hand a long 
knife, which he had taken up as he concluded his response 
to me, and for what purpose I had not conjectured. As, 
however, the negro, a brave fellow, by the by, had stopped 
short at the threshold on beholding the scene before him, 
the Doctor, fixing his look full on Jupiter, and giving a 
flourish to the knife, albeit as yet unstained with the black 
gore of the subject before him, demanded in a theatrical 
tone, — 

''How now. Sir Glass Eyes, what has brought you 
here!'' 

But poor Jupiter's teeth chattered so that he could only 
half articulate, " Mas-ser — masser send me for you." And 
his enormously dilated eyes began to wander from the Sur- 
geon's face to the stairs behind himself. 

"Your master sent you to me, for wdiat?" said the 
little Galen, in a coaxing tone, at the same time walking 
around the table. " Is it one of those ill-shapen legs the 
Captain wishes to have taken off ? " 

"Thank ye, Massa Doctor," returned Jupiter, "got a 
very sarviceable leg." 

" Then make use of your legs, and tell the Captain I 
will be with him directly." 

So saying, the Surgeon returned to the head of the table, 
and deliberately placed his left hand under the head of 
the dead man, and raising it from the table, laid the point 
of his knife against the back of the neck, and by a single 
circular cut severed the head from the trunk before either 
the hospital steward or myself had an idea of what he was 
about to do. Having removed the head, he dismissed the 
steward, and then turning to me, said, — 

" You do not understand this. Lieutenant : I will ex- 
plain. The man is to be buried to-morrow morning; the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 93 

evening is now approaching^ indeed it is on us ; we shall 
not get back before midnight, and I must have time 
to-morrow to make a careful examination of the eye of 
this soldier, who was suffering at the time of his death 
(though not the cause of his death) from Ophthalmia tarsi, 
a disease, Lieutenant, of the eye ; symptoms — heat, pain, 
and tension of the parts ; it is a genus in the class Pyrexice, 
order Phlegmasia^. I have now a very interesting case 
of the kind, where small ulcers, discharging a glutinous 
matter, appear on the sebaceous glands of the tarsus, — 
venesection and refrigerants have proved of no avail. I 
am extremely desirous to examine, microscopically, an eye 
similarly aifected, and this appeared to me to be my only 
opportunity ; so you see. Lieutenant, the necessity of 
taking advantage of it/' 

So saying, the Surgeon drew^ forth his pocket handker- 
chief, which he spread out upon the table, and placed the 
head in the centre, carefully drew the corners together, 
and tied the ends. This accomplished, he seized his hat, 
and calling out, in dramatic tone, ^' Now, Lieutenant, to 
horse,'' caught up his handkerchief and its contents, and 
marched out of the room, leaving the headless trunk in 
sole possession of it. In proceeding to the Surgeon's 
quarters, we had to cross the Plaza to a small house 
ensconced in the shrubbery of a court-yard, where he had 
established himself. Finding our horses awaiting us, he 
said to me, " I will not longer detain you ; " and suiting 
the action to the word, he stepped to the side of the house, 
and opening the sliding door of a chicken-coop, placed his 
trophy carefully within it; then, without further ado, 
mounted his horse, and we set out for the Cantonment. 
On our arrival, the Captain met us in his sitting-room, 
and told us his patient had been extremely restless and 
excited, and had asked for brandy as a solace to his suf- 
ferings. He had given him the liquor, and he had drunk 
largely. 



94 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

" I fear/' said the Captain^ in conclusion, ^' too much 
so for one in his condition." 

On entering the bedroom, the patient was discovered 
with his eyes closed • but being addressed by the Surgeon, 
he started as from a troubled dose, and having replied to 
the questions of the former, he added in a quiet but im- 
pressive voice, — 

^' I pray you. Doctor, use what dispatch you may in 
setting my bones to rights ; for never was a poor mortal in 
the rude clutches of an 'alguazil ' more keenly desirous to 
elude his grasp than am I at this moment to escape from 
the durance of a sick-bed. At any time," he continued, 
as if communing with himself, " I could have borne it, 
even with patience." 

" Patience" — muttered Coburn, unceremoniously undo- 
ing the shirt-collar and exposing the shoulder and back, 
"however laudable we are taught to believe it may be 
when spontaneously exercised in the hour of misfortune — is 
a virtue that in a case like this must be practised per force. 
Why, my dear sir, you are shockingly bruised, though no 
bones are broken ; antiphlogistics and bathing with 
proper stimulants may set you up in a week's time ; but 
you must first lose a little blood." And he at once pro- 
ceeded to tie up the arm and use the lancet. " Now this 
little powder Avill allay the excitement, and you had 
better sleep if you can ; I will see you again in an hour." 

We returned with the Captain down stairs, where we 
found dinner on the table. The Doctor's eyes sparkled 
with a deeper blue as he seated himself; and the oyster 
gombo and the boiled rcdfish, not inferior to the turbot, 
disappeared with prodigious celerity, as did afterwards the 
venison (of the Captain's killing). Having done due 
honor to his host's cuisine, he laid down his knife and 
fork with an expression of infinite satisfaction, and seizing 
the taper neck of a bottle of Sherry to which he had 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 95 

already paid his respects more than once, he addressed the 
head of the table ; — 

^' Captain Bell, I drink to the health of the most accom- 
plished sportsman of the Army ! — Who but himself/^ con- 
tinued he, turning to me, ^^ could with his gun and line 
liave provided such a dinner as we have just enjoyed ?^' 

The Doctor then rose from the table, saying he would 
return to his patient. After he had gone, we passed in 
review the adventures of the day ; and the conclusion we 
arrived at was, that the Spaniard by his mishap would 
fail to meet some appointment he had made with Diego, 
and with some sinister purpose, we could not but suspect. 
We joined the Doctor at the bed-side of the sick person, 
who was flushed and excited, and wandered in conversa- 
tion which had the loose and communicative character of 
one who had been drinking too freely. 

I saw Bell's eye glance towards the bottle which stood 
upon the table by the bed-side, and I observed also that it 
was nearly empty. The Surgeon was seated in an arm- 
chair, with a cigar in his mouth, and discoursing on the 
qualities of tobacco. While he spoke, I had an oppor- 
tunity of studying more closely the strongly-marked fea- 
tures and powerful frame of the stranger. His dark eyes 
were shaded by straight brows, over which rose a massive 
forehead, smooth and hard-looking ; his nose was slightly 
aquiline ; but his mouth, the most striking feature, was 
full, firm, and at the same time sarcastic. A long, curled' 
moustache was all that the razor had left of a thick black 
beard ; in years, he was perhaps five-and-thirty. The 
Captain, taking advantage of a pause in the Doctor's lec- 
ture, said, — 

'^ That is an unruly animal of your friend Diego." 

^' My friend ! " said the other, turning his head quickly. 

" The horse you rode," returned the Captain, " belongs 
I believe to Diego Rojo, and having seen you on the beach 



9G LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

in company with Diego, this morning, I took the liberty 
to style him your friend ; but, if I am wrong in so doing, 
you will pardon my mistake." 

" ^Tis no offence, sir. Ah, yes, I now remember, as 
Diego Rojo was about to embark for the fishing grounds, 
I met him on the beach, and while speaking to him I saw 
two persons pass on horseback. — (Excuse me, sir, I think 
this fall has confused my poor head.) — This man Diego has 
but lately been made known to me, as a man to whom I was 
recommended for information respecting lands in this 
part of the country. A shrewd fellow he seems to be, and 
perfectly happy when in his fishing-smack ; " and his dark 
inquiring eye was bent full upon the Captain's face. The 
latter answered promptly, — 

^' That may be ; but in what manner much of his time 
is better employed, he does not see fit to inform the 
curious." 

The stranger's brow contracted, and he moved slightly 
as if to relieve his shoulder of which he complained as 
beginning to be stiff. Bell, without saying more, assisted 
him in changing his position. 

"Thank you, sir; I am perfectly easy now — I was 
directed to this man, as I observed, for information as to 
the quality of the lands in this vicinity. I reside, sir, in 
the Island of Cuba. My father, who was an English- 
inan, and married to my mother, a Spanish lady, left at 
his death a plantation, which I wish to dispose of and 
settle where I may forget the unhappy passages of my 
earlier life. With this view I have come to Florida. I 
am a Spaniard in feelings and habits ; my paternal descent 
will account to you for my knowledge of the English 
language." 

The Surgeon, who had, as he conceived, been a patient 
listener during this time, asked the Captain and myself if 
we would not smoke ; and as he spoke he drew from his 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 97 

pocket a beautifully mounted tortoise-shell case, evidently 
a jDresent from his patient, and filled with the veritable 
mullein leaf tobacco. Addressing his patient, he said, — 

" I find it difficult to get such cigars." 

^^ There are but three farms/' the other replied, ^^that 
produce tobacco of that quality. The texture of the leaf, 
you observe, is exceedingly delicate, and feels like silk. 
Of the three, the leaf in most repute is from ^ la Vuelta de 
abaxo,' or the loicer pass. This is in the southern part 
of the island, Avhere the soil is more finely mingled with 
sand, while its exposure is admirably adapted to the pro- 
tection as well as the maturation of the plant." 

" I suppose the tobacco is most eagerly sought after," ob- 
served the Surgeon. 

" I have known tlie crop engaged and the purchase- 
money paid in hand three years in advance," was the 
reply. 

" I protest against monopolies," interposed the Surgeon, 
taking another cigar from the case. ^^ I can't permit you 
to smoke now," he added, seeing an involuntary motion 
of the other's hand ; " too exciting to the nervous system ;" 
carefully putting up the case. The Surgeon settled him- 
self comfortably in the large arm-chair, and half closing 
his eyes, rolled forth a column of smoke that rose in a 
dense cloud above his head as the other went on as 
follows : 

" The crop of this plantation had been engaged at a 
high price by Don Carlos, a wealthy merchant of the city ; 
and when the time appointed came round, a large sliip was 
dispatched to an inconsiderable port, in the vicinity of the 
Pass, which had been agreed upon as the point of delivery. 
On reaching his destination, the agent of the merchant 
found to his unutterable astonishment tiro vessels, already 
nearly freighted with the very tobacco he had himself 
been directed to receive on board. He landed without 
9 G 



98 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

delay and sought the planter, who calmly told him that 
his employer had failed to comply with certain stipula- 
tions in the contract, and that having received an advanta- 
geous offer, he had disposed of the produce of his planta- 
tion to another merchant. Enraged at the barefaced- 
ness of this man, the agent returned to Havana with this 
intelligence. Don Carlos on learning that the purchase 
had been made by a rival house, between which and his 
own a misunderstanding, arising out of mercantile trans- 
actions, had long existed, he at once suspected that the 
planter had been tampered with, solely with a view to 
gratify the jealousy and hatred that rankled in the breast 
of his rival. His own contract having been a verbal one 
and w^ithout proper witnesses, the law offered no remedy. 
But the proud spirit of his race dwelt in the bosom of tlie 
old Don. The fire flashed from his eyes as he listened to 
the recital of his ao^ent. Seizin 2; his hat, he at once souo:ht 
his competitor. He liad but just descended into the 
street w^hen, by an unlucky chance, he met his man, and 
with but little preface charged him with the baseness of 
his dealings. High words ensued, which resulted in a 
challenge from Don Carlos. They separated with mutual 
vows to meet immediately at a retired spot without the 
city walls. Don Carlos liad long since lost his wife, and his 
only child was a son now verging on manhood. This young 
man had seen his father enter the house with an excited air 
and a quick step, and immediately reappear Avith his sword. 
Fearful that something serious had occurred, he followed 
at a distance, not daring to cross his father's humor at such 
a moment. On reaching an unfrequented spot where the 
antagonists were to meet, the young man had barely time 
to conceal himself, Avhen he perceived a cavalier approach- 
ing with a hasty step and determined mien. The next 
moment, what was his horror when he recognized in this 
individual the father of his betrotlied bride ! ^' 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 99 

As the stranger pronounced these words, an involuntary 
shudder shook his frame, and he covered his eyes with 
his hand. He, liowever, quickly regained his composure, 
and excusing himself on the plea that a sudden pang had 
shot through his shoulder, he resumed his narrative. 
" The young people,'^ he said, " had long cherished the 
truest aifection for each other ; but owing to the coolness 
that existed between their families, had kept secret their 
affiance, hoping that a fitting occasion might ere long offer 
to obtain the consent of their parents. 

^' His antagonist had scarcely reached the ground, when 
Don Carlos cried out, ' Draw, sir, and defend yourself ! ' 
Then waving his sword haughtily in the air, he attacked 
his adversary with a vigor that greatly belied his age. 
The first impulse of the young man was to rush forward 
and throw himself between the combatants ; but ere he 
had sprung from his cover, the foot of Don Carlos had 
slipped in the impetuosity of his onset, and his opponent's 
sword had passed through his body. The face of Don 
Carlos, as he fell, w^rithing with the anguish of foiled ven- 
geance and the agony of his wound, was turned towards 
his son. At the same time the victor passed over the 
body of his prostrate foe, exclaiming with the wild ma- 
lignancy of a fiend, ^ Die, accursed dog ! and know it was 
by my hand you fell.' AVith this he spurned the body 
with his foot and spat upon it. 

'^ At the sight of this horrific act, consciousness forsook 
the young man, and the next moment his poniard was 
buried in the heart of his father's murderer. When his 
senses returned, he found himself kneeling over the be- 
loved author of his being, with the reeking weapon 
clasped in both his hands. As he wildly called upon his 
father's name, the old man faintly raised his eyes, and 
smiling on his son, closed them again without speaking. 
To stanch the wound with his handkerchief, and then fly 



100 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

for aid, was the work of an instant. In a short time Don 
Carlos was carried home; and his wound having been 
examined by the surgeon, was pronounced dangerous, but 
not necessarily mortal. That same night the house of 
Don Carlos was fired by the son of the slain cavalier, with 
the intention of assassinating both father and son the mo- 
ment they appeared from among the flames. At mid- 
night, while the affectionate youth was hanging over the 
bed of his wounded parent, the flames, with startling fury, 
burst into the room. The son quickly wound his cloak 
around his left arm to ward off* the falling fragments, and 
inspired with unwonted strength by the danger of the 
moment, caught up his helpless charge in the other arm, 
and made his way down the burning stairs to the door. 
Here, as he passed into the street, a man, shrouded in a 
cloak drawn about his face, struck at him with a dagger ; 
thanks, however, to the firm texture of the cloak wound 
about his left arm, without effect. Striding past the as- 
sassin, Avho was overturned by the shock, he sought only 
to carry his precious burden to a place of safety. Having 
reached a house close by, he placed his wounded sire upon 
a couch, and strove with more than filial assiduity to miti- 
gate the torture of the wound aggravated by so hurried a 
movement, and to assuage the excitement of his mind. 

"Seeing that the old man was calm and reassured, the 
son, feeling for his stiletto, and assured that it was where 
it should be, descended into the street. A few steps 
brought him to a point Avliere he beheld the building 
within whose walls he had first seen the light — the house 
with which the fondest recollections of childhood's joys 
and youthful happiness were associated, half consumed by 
the fierce element, and now presenting to his aching senses 
a mass of smouldering ruins. Not an article had been 
saved, not a relic rescued from the conflagration. So 
rapid, indeed, had been the work of the incendiary, that 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 101 

several of the domestics perished in the flames. The 
street was crowded ; but the villain who committed the 
deed was nowhere to be found. 

" Don Carlos suffered severely from alarm and hurried 
removal ; and the next evening suddenly grew so much 
worse, that his son, leaving him in tlie hands of his 
friends, flew with tlie speed of the wind to seek the phy- 
sician. While thus recklessly progressing, he, on turning 
a corner, came violently in collision with a cavalier who 
supported on his arm a lady deeply veiled. Both for an 
instant were staggered ; but as the son of the wounded 
gentleman began to apologize for being so incautious, the 
other shouted in his ear, ^ Ha ! villain, you escaped me 
once, but you shall not now.' As he spoke, he released 
his arm from that of the lady, and drawing his poniard, 
hastily made a desperate stroke at the heart of his oppo- 
nent. But the son of Don Carlos, with an eye quick and 
true as the eagle's, anticipated the blow. He caught the 
descending arm Avith his left hand, and the next instant 
his steel flashed as he raised his own right hand. The 
lady screamed and sprang forward to avert the blow, 
when the accursed weapon was buried to the hilt in her 
lovely bosom ; and ere she fell to the earth, the ill-fated 
youth discovered that he had slain his own beloved Isa- 
bella." — Here the stranger's voice faltered, and his stal- 
wart frame quivered with emotion. No one spoke, but 
Coburn sat uneasily in his chair, and smoked with great 
vehemence, while the eyes of Bell and myself were flxed 
upon the narrator Avith intense interest. In another mo- 
ment the Spaniard resumed : ^^ The cowardly brother fled 
for assistance, and on his return with the officers of jus- 
tice, the unresisting lover was taken, weeping over the 
corpse of his betrothed. He was carried off" insensible to 
prison : the following night he escaped, only in time to 
close the eyes of his dying father. He Avas concealed by 



102 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

his friends during the first ardor of the search, and here 
he had ample time to contemplate the depth of the calam- 
ity into which three short days had plunged him. In 
this brief period, reduced from affluence to poverty, bereft 
of the only relative on earth, and made the involuntary 
instrument of death to the being more dear to him than 
all the world beside. — '^ Oh ! cursed,'' he cried, smiting 
his forehead, '^ thrice, three times, infinitely cursed be the 
wretch," — and at that moment he registered a frightful 
vow, that his right hand should be bathed in the heart's 
blood of all who bore- the name or claimed connection 
with the wretch, the author of his agonizing grief for the 
death of his betrothed bride." 

Apparently appeased by thus giving vent to his pas- 
sion, he proceeded : ^^ The next night, leaving his hiding- 
place, the young man proceeded to that door to which he 
had been wont to fly on the wings of love, taking a fiendish 
delight in selecting for the execution of the deed he medi- 
tated the very spot where he had enjoyed so many secret 
interviews with his l)eloved Isabella ; so completely had a 
savage thirst for blood banished all other sentiments from 
his mind. He had not long waited before his victim 
approached, when, springing forward, he shouted in his 
face, ^ Hell-hound .! thy hour has come ! ' He parried an 
ineffectual thrust, and seizing his opponent by the throttle 
with an iron grasp, thrust him against the wall, plunged 
a poniard into his breast, and with unabated malignity 
he continued to stab him until he could no longer raise 
the weapon, when the mangled body slipped from his 
relaxed gripe and sank to the earth." — A deep silence had 
prevailed in the room while the Spaniard narrated this 
fearful tragedy. As he concluded this sad tale, his mute 
auditors were aroused by the sound of a deep-drawn sigh, 
and turning towards the bed they perceived that the un- 
happy man, who had raised himself on his elbow as he 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 103 

drew to the close of his narration, had, as he uttered the 
last words, fallen back senseless npon his pillow. In this 
state he lay for some time, nnaffected by the Surgeon's 
applications to restore him. When at last he revived, he 
languidly opened his large dark eyes, and turning to the 
Doctor, said in a low tone : ^^ Your narcotic drugs have 
over-excited my nervous system; I have talked too much.'' 
It was apparent, however, to every one present that the 
heavy draughts of brandy he had taken during the ab- 
sence of our party had overcome his reason, and doubtless 
led him to reveal a history of passion and crime which 
in his sober senses would never have been imparted to 
strangers. The surgeon imposed silence, and having 
given a sedative, recommended sleep : after which we bade 
him good' night and retired. 

The night was now far advanced. We returned to the 
Captain's sitting-room, all of us deeply impressed by the 
rehearsal of the history of this unfortunate but guilty man ; 
for we were fully satisfied that the stranger had been him- 
self the chief actor in the revolting tragedy, to the recital 
of which we had just listened. The name of Don Carlos 
having been substituted for the English name, '^ Charles/' 
which his father bore. We here heard the third relief of 
the guard challenged by the sentinel on post near the 
Captain's quarters, which told us that it was one o'clock in 
the morning. The Doctor and I hastily bid the Captain 
good-night, and mounted our horses. I have written, 
dear II, till very late, and will close my letter. Adieu. 



Pensacola, February. 

Dear H : I closed my letter last night after re- 
counting the exciting incidents of the previous day. I 
will now attempt to relate to you what occurred after 
Surgeon Coburn and your humble servant left the quarters 



104 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

of Captain Bell at one In the morning of the following 
day. Coburn merely lighted a fresh cigar, ere we mounted 
our horses and turned their heads towards Pensacola. 
Neither of us were much disposed to converse : for myself, 
I must say, my feelings had been much moved by witness- 
ing the mental agony of the Spaniard while he related the 
passages of his early and much to be lamented career. 
What the Surgeon's meditations were, he did not seem dis- 
posed to communicate, and so we trudged along slowly 
through the deep sand in silence. The moon was high in 
the heavens, and, moving in a cloudless sky, diffused upon 
the plain through which our route lay a pure and mellow 
light, which, contrasting with the deep and distinctly 
delineated shadow cast by the pine forest which crowned 
the ridge on the left, far surpassed in beauty the broad 
glare of day shed by the orb whose rays were but reflected 
here. It was the hour in which the fairest visions of the 
lover rise and unfold to his enraptured mind a glowing 
picture of those ecstatic joys which are destined to reward 
the purity and constancy of his passion. But the most 
entrancing meditations, as well as the most tedious journey, 
must alike come to an end, as did ours on drawing up in 
front of the Surgeon's gate. I had bid him good-night as 
he entered his court-yard, but as I turned away I observed 
his horse plunge violently to one side, thereby somewhat 
endangering the bones of the rider, his master. At length, 
all the efforts of the Surgeon having failed to induce the 
brute to advance, he dismounted, and resolutely marched 
up to the object of his steed's aversion. Advancing a few 
steps, the brave little Surgeon himself was not a little 
startled at seeing on the ground a human head erect, with 
great goggle eyes, on which the moonlight gleamed, star- 
ing him full in the face. ^' Bless me ! " he exclaimed, and 
in recoiling he ran against the outstretched nose of his 
trembling steed, whose bridle-rein, thrown over the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 105 

animal's head, the Surgeon held in his hand. The 
startled horse was further agitated by this accident, and 
making simultaneously a snort and a bound, broke from 
the Doctor and scampered oif to the stable. The Doctor 
then, with laudable spirit and alacrity, proceeded, accom- 
panied by myself, to solve the mystery of this strange 
apparition. His afternoon's professional work had been 
obliterated from his memory by the unexampled incidents 
of the evening and night ; and it was not until we had 
drawn quite near that he recognized in the apparition the 
features of his old friend, the soldier, whom he had so un- 
ceremoniously decapitated that afternoon, and had placed 
for safe-keeping in an empty apartment of the chicken- 
coop, in an adjoining division of which were two fine 
capons undergoing the fattening process, "secundum 
artem;^' but how the head had found its way here he 
could not well conjecture. The riddle, ho)vever, was soon 
read : near the spot where the head of the soldier was found 
upright upon the cambric handkerchief, lay two dead 
fowls. These, the Surgeon, sorrowfully eying them, de- 
clared to be his own. " What scoundrel," he ejaculated, 
" has been depredating upon me ? " 

As absurdly ludicrous as the affair appeared to me, I 
managed to restrain my feelings ; and I joined the Doctor 
in an expression of fixed and openly declared vengeance 
against the perpetrator. 

It was very clear that the attempted robbery was the 
work of some thieving negro, although such acts are of 
rare occurrence here. It was evident that, having robbed 
the coop of the Doctor's fine capons, the fellow had dis- 
covered the white handkerchief carefully tied up ; and 
regarding it as an " area auri/^ lugged it off with the 
fowls. On reaching tlie open space where the full moon 
shed its bright light, impatient to examine his prize, he 
set down his plunder, and hastily untied the handkerchief. 



106 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

The folds of the cambric fell off and left the head just as 
the Doctor had placed it, upright and facing the thief. 
The 'poor devil was no doubt a little more than half 
frightened to death, and made a jM-ecipitate retreat, leaving 
the " spolia opima " on the field. 



Cantonment Clinch. 

Dear H : My last letter brought to a close the 

singular and somewhat strange and incongruous events 
that were crowded together in the day that witnessed the 
accident of the Cuban gentleman. Captain Bell rode into 
Pensacola on the following day, and I was unable to 
see him. Surgeon Coburn, however, informed me that his 
patient, with whom he had passed an hour in the course 
of the morning, was altogether better, and was as calm and 
self-possessed as he could desire. The following day the 
Captain called at my quarters and reported his guest as 
doing well. He told me that the gentleman had not re- 
ferred to the disclosures he had made on the first evening ; 
and that, consequently, he had learned nothing further of 
his history. The next day, when Bell returned from 
Pensacola, he at once handed me the following letter, 
written by his late guest, who, during the absence of the 
Captain the day before, had ordered his horse and taken 
his leave. 

"Sir: — Estranged by feelings that have long been at war 
with the world, years have passed since I have sought or re- 
ceived kindness from my fellow-man. It is probable that we 
shall never meet again. But rest assured, sir, should fortune 
at any future time bring us together, the feelings which in- 
duce me to address you now, will then prompt me to express 
my gratitude more deeply than by words. You are ac- 
quainted with my sadly eventful life up to the hour we met. 



BY GEORGE A. McGALL. 107 

I will not now deny what, in a moment of excitement, I re- 
vealed to you. I am, indeed, that unhappy man whose 
history I related to you under a feigned name ; whose vow, 
years ago, was registered above. I go now to fulfil my vow. 
The son, a younger son, of my father's murderer, is at this 
hour with a vessel taking on board tobacco from T/ie Lower 
Pass,' the same leaf that caused my father's death and all 
my woe. I must meet him ere he reaches Havana. Then 
one or both of us must fall. My departure may not be de- 
ferred until your return. I beg you to accept the pledge of 
my sincerity, herewith. Antonio." 

The Captain then produced a finger-ring, in w hich was 
a large diamond, richly and heavily mounted, which had 
been left on the table with the note. He also informed 
me that on inquiry of his servant he learned that, early in 
the afternoon, his guest had come dow^n stairs, and said he 
w as well enough to ride out. He ordered his horse, and 
mounting, rode away on the road to Blakely, and had not 
returned. From this information, and from Antonio's note, 
it was now almost reduced to a mathematical demonstra- 
tion, that, for reasons hitherto unexplained to us, Antonio 
had appointed to meet Diego at Blakely, whence they w^ere 
to sail to intercept the tobacco-vessel. And hence, too, the 
poignant disappointment Antonio had expressed on meet- 
ing with the accident wliich had detained him at the Can- 
tonment ; and also his eagerness to depart as soon as he 
had sufficiently recovered to be able to mount his horse. 

Should our surmises, w^ith regard to the connection of 
Antonio with Diego prove correct, we may shortly look 
for accounts of the meeting of Antonio with the son and 
brother of the men he had already slain. I shudder as I 
oall to mind the narration of the misfortunes and crimes 
of this unhappy man ; and still more when I see again in 
imagination that pale face and those noble features agi- 
tated by grief and the thirst for revenge as he pronounced 



108 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

the awful vow you have read in a former letter. If his 
crimes were great, his provocation w^as also great; and 
there was withal in his composition a gentle tenderness of 
heart manifested, which, had it been fostered under hap- 
pier influences, would perhaps have made him an affec- 
tionate and beloved son, a loving and devoted husband and 
father, and a respected and admired member of society. 
Now, alas ! his end, which I fear cannot long be deferred, 
must be marked by further crime and disgrace on earth 
for ever. If I hear more, — and more must shortly come 
to us, — I will write you. 



Pensacola, February, . 

My dear H : Some evenings past we had a very 

pleasant little party at Sefiora Oreo's. Carlota was as usual 
attractive and piquante. About eleven we retired, and I 
was quietly strolling to the hotel — (the night was superb, 
too delicious for sleep) — when, just as I was passing Co- 
burn's retired domicil, an unearthly discord of diabolical 
sounds burst upon my tympanum. I stopped to listen as 
the sounds approached. The mingled blasts of tin horns, 
the rattling of tin kettles, the rolling of drums, the squeak- 
ing of fifes, the shouts of " Cha-ri-va-7H/^ augmented by the 
barking of dogs and the clattering of horses' hoofs, created 
such a fearful din as in my born days I had never before 
encountered ; the awful clangor fairly startled the evening 
land-breeze as it floated in even measure towards the sea. 
The tumult had the effect to draw out from his cosy apart- 
ments the Surgeon and some one of his Pensacola cronies, 
possibly a patient ; for this sage little disciple of ^Iilsculapius, 
in spite of his gross eccentricities, was held in high esteem 
by the whole town as a physician of unequalled ability and 
sound judgment, and as a surgeon of great skill, as well as 
for his kind heart and generosity in visiting the sick when- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 109 

ever called for, without charge, for the constantly success- 
ful treatment of their various maladies. 

After he had greeted me with his usual off-hand wel- 
come, he turned to his companion, and asked what had 
thrown the whole town into such an uproar. 

''It is,^^ replied his friend, ''a Charivari!^ An old fel- 
low, of Spanish blood, a widower, was married this morn- 
ing to a pretty young Creole, and has probably just taken 
his young wife home. You are, perhaps, not acquainted 
with a custom of the people of Pensacola on the occasion 
of the marriage of a widow or a widower,'^ said he, turn- 
ing to me. On my replying in the negative, he continued : 
" The present subject, a widower, is a cross-grained, self- 
willed, obstinate churl, who will probably give liis unin- 
vited and unwelcome visitors no very courteous reception. 
One of two things he must do : either throw open his 
house and entertain the crowd to the best he has, or fight 
it out manfully to the last.'' 

The posse was now approaching the spot where we 
stood. The numerous torches flaunted their saucy lights 
in the face of the chaste moon. The unruly mob, some 
mounted, some on foot, moved confusedly along towards 
the dwelling of their victim; while their voices were raised 
in an almost incessant shout of Charivari, accomjianied by 
an instrumental din of unsurpassable grandeur. It would 
not have required any great stretch of the imagination 
to have set them down, with their hideous masks and not 
incongruous drapery, for a host of demons let loose from 
the dominion of Pluto. 

Conspicuous among the mounted gallants were Pierre 
Le Kocher and INIanuel Ricaneur, on their best horses. 
Having reached the centre of the spacious square, or 
Plaza, which was already well filled with the actors and 
spectators of this monstrous melo-drama, a personage of 
immense bulk, who a2)pcarcd to exercise the authority of 
10 



110 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

commander, in whom T soon recognized the dashing Pierre 
Le Rocher, not only by his well-known pied or '^jxtint^^ 
horse, but also by his full sonorous voice, now^ rode rap- 
idly about, calling his followers to attention. He wore a 
coat resembling the military, buttoned over his goodly 
paunch, around which a broad leather belt sustained his 
trusty weapon. A very small chapeau, with a cock-tail 
plume, completed his dress. Drawing his " trusty/' Pierre 
with much vociferation brought his men into line. By 
his side, now Pierre's aide-de-camp reined up. He 
bestrode an old, raw-boned charger, scarcely fit for dog's- 
meat, every hair of whose tail had been shaven ofP, save a 
small lock at the end, from which was suspended a com- 
mon cow-bell, which clanked in unison with his halt and 
crippled gait. Having enforced silence, the commander 
thus addressed the band: — 

"Fellow-soldiers of the Hymeneal Torch! It affords 
me pleasure to express to you the entire satisfaction I have 
experienced in witnessing the orderly and becoming con- 
duct and bearing you have exhibited on this trying occa- 
sion!" Deafening cheers here interrupted the speaker, 
who resumed : " In the discharge of the delicate trust you 
are about to enter upon, in the free exercise of your an- 
cient customs and usages, do not pass the confines of aus- 
tere decorum and propriety." 

A burst of instrumental and vocal harmony, such as 
cannot well be conceived, followed this caution; after 
which the leader and his aide placed themselves at the head 
of the column, and moved at once to the house of the old 
Spaniard. The uproar was greatly magnified as they 
approached the door, being truly a summons 

"That broke his bands of sleep asunder. 
And roused liim like a rattling peal of thunder." 

The forces being arrayed in front of the house, which 
stood upon the street next the beach, looking out upon the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. Ill 

bay, the commander's first act was to send a deputation 
of two to summon the bridegroom, and announce the 
arrival of the friends who had come to do honor to his 
nuptials. The announcement was made in due form, but 
without acknoAvledgment from those within. The leader, 
after waiting a reasonable time, reiterated his order: — 

^' Apply yourselves to the knocker again, my men ! — the 
groom, perchance, diverteth himself witli his young bride, 
and heedeth not your summons. He must be roused.'' 

The command was obeyed with an energy that threat- 
ened the speedy destruction of the frail barrier which shut 
out the noisy troop of men from the peaceful domicil of 
the happy pair. Thus peremptorily admonished, the 
^^ nouveaumarie^^ thought it prudent no longer to feign igno- 
rance of an invocation, which, if repeated again, might bring 
his house about his ears. Accordingly the shutters of an 
upper window were thrown open without delay, and the 
assemblage below had the satisfaction of beholding the 
night-capped head of the little Spaniard thrust out upon 
the night, as he growled or rather roared out, — 

'^ Carrahoe punletara ! who dares disturb a peaceful house 
at this hour?" 

He was made acquainted with the character of his vis- 
itors and their object by the knight of the shave-tail horse, 
who, spurring to the front, thus ceremoniously addressed 
him: — 

'^Most gallant Seilor, your devoted friends, the Knights 
of the Hymeneal Torch, having with much pleasure learned 
that this morning's sun had smiled upon your nuptials for 
the second time, have hastened to offer to you their profound 
gratulations. And to prove to you how exceedingly they 
rejoice at the happy consummation of your desires, they 
have spared no pains in the preparations to celebrate 
these your nuptials agreeably to the ancient and respected 
usages of tXiQ Order. ]Me, they have commissioned to 
announce tlieir purpose. 



112 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

" Thou hast, therefore, most enviable groom and illus- 
trious Senor, no more clemanded of thee than to provide 
nuisie and abundant good eheer, and these devoted kniglits 
and faithful soldiers will return, in the flashino; of a 
flambeau, eaeh aeeompanied by his adored fair one, to 
danee and make merrv with thee till Phoebus, god of day, 
shall warn ns to give over. — Have I said well, my merry- 
men?'^ This appeal to his associates, already flushed by 
a sight of the game, was answered by a view^-halloo and a 
deafening peal of instrumental music, in the midst of 
which the enraged Spaniard withdrew his head, and re- 
tired to vent liis rage in the presence of his bride. The 
commander, the bold Pierre, nothing surprised or dashed 
at tlie reception of his gratulatory advances, coolly pre- 
pared to prosecute his undertaking. 

AA ith the sagacity of an able chief, he at once adopted 
such measures as he knew, if steadily persisted in, must in 
the end reduce the most restive recusant to terms. He 
accordingly detached a party to the rear of the house to 
prevent escape, having resolved regularly to besiege the 
obdurate Sjniniard, and starve him into honorable capit- 
nlation. Having taken this precautionary step, he called 
a council oi' war, and with wonderful native dignity and 
ease gravely communicated his resolve to his subordinates; 
and then condescendingly asked their advice or ai)proval 
of the course he had already in his own mind determined 
to carry out. Of course his plan of operations was unan- 
imously agreed upon in council. In accordance there- 
with, a sufficient guard was left to prevent the escape of 
their prisoner, while the rest of the maskers paraded the 
streets in every direction, and with instrumental music of 
unearthly sounds, and songs descriptive of the loAv-souled 
meanness of the little bridegroom, they made the welkin 
ring. At every tavern or public house they halted, and 
put the landlord under contribution. Towards morning 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 113 

they returned to the house of their prisoner, where Pierre, 
having brought his troop into line, demanded a parley. 
In answer to an imperative summons at his door, the testy 
groom, without removing bolt or Ijar, called out to know 
what they had to say. ^' I have to inform you," returned 
Pierre, in his full, sonorous voice, '^ that the Knights of the 
Hymeneal Torch have come now, not as gentle cavaliers 
to offer their devoir at the celebration of your nujitials, 
but justly indignant at the rude reception they met with 
on the occasion of tlieir first courteous visit ; tliey are now 
here to demand of you compliance with an observance of 
ancient date in this town. Do you accede?" — "Carrahoe! 
No!" bellowed the little man ; and then muttering to him- 
self loud enough to be heard by those without, *^yl dioSf 
Seilores, I will see your torches burn out, and your false 
faces crumble, before I draw bolt to admit such rantipole 
runagates within my private dwelling. A dio>^, Henores, a 
dioSj a dlos, a dios!'^ and as he stalked away from the 
door, he continued to repeat his conr/e until the sound of 
his voice was lost. The flush of morning had already 
appeared over the eastern waters, and the maskers need- 
ing refreshment had retired, after expending the shafts of 
their low wit, and after levelling taunts and jibes enough 
at the front of his dwelling to have pulverized it, had it 
been more sensible to the force of their intellectual weap- 
ons than were the tough hide and obtuse sensibilities of 
its tenant, the plucky little groom. The latter had not 
failed to avail himself of the absence of his persecutors to 
reassure his bride, and to recover a little of his own equa- 
nimity. His tormentors, however, did not allow him a 
long respite. They had assembled on the Plaza after 
breakfast, and with renewed vigor moved down to the 
Bay. Again Ambrosio (for that was the Spaniard's name) 
was, after a flourish of tin horns and other jarring instru- 
ments, called to a parley. But again he positively refused 
10- II 



114 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

to concede their demands, swearing he would starve before 
he would surrender. He had feared to attempt an escape, 
lest he should fall into the hands of the boisterous com- 
pany. With great pertinacity, still he declined to yield 
to demands so galling to the pride and other ruling traits 
of his character, persuaded that his own tenacity would 
at length wear out the endurance of his persecutors. He 
had, however, to deal with a fellow equal in determination 
to himself, and of a recklessness that made him regardless 
of the pain he inflicted on others when his object required 
it. He had a good deal of that property or quality of 
mind which, when entered in a just cause and directed by 
wisdom and humanity, becomes one of the greatest virtues 
that adorn the character of man ; but unguided by the 
dictates of good sense, benevolence, and propriety, soon 
learns to obey the promptings of the basest passions which 
lead into the mazes of folly and of crime. Satisfied, from 
the last interview with Ambrosio, that the latter would 
neither draw a bolt nor attempt an escape from his strong- 
hold, he withdrew his forces quietly, and directing them 
to collect crow-bars, long and heavy beams and rollers, 
and to meet him with dispatch on the Plaza. Such, in- 
deed, was the punishment he meant to inflict upon tlie 
hardened villain Avho had dared to bid defiance to his 
authority, that he feared, should his purpose transpire, the 
civil autliorities would interfere and come to the rescue. 
Before dispersing, however, he said to his men : '' I will 
be with you anon ; with such a demonstration of good 
will to preserve the supremacy of your Order, that this 
surly caitiff shall incontinently throw himself upon your 
mercy, or meet a fate that will serve as an example to 
future generations of the danger of disputing your estab- 
lished rights and privileges.'' Some time passed before 
Pierre returned with his merry men, equipped as required. 
As he drew up in front of the house, before calling Am- 



BY GEORGE J. McCALL. 115 

broslo to a parley for the last time, he thus addressed his 
men : '' True to your trust, your toils are near an end. 
You shall dance this night with the churl Ambrosio, or 
he shall sup to-night with Neptune, on shellfish as obdu- 
rate as himself.'^ With this he ordered the usual sum- 
mons to be sounded. But inured as it seemed by this 
time to the taunts of this insatiable and merciless crew, 
he received the summons with great apparent indifference. 
Meantime an ox-cart was slowly moving up the beach ; it 
was approaching from that quarter of the town which was 
but little frequented. It was loaded with heavy unbarked 
rollers, freshly cut in the pine woods, and long levers sim- 
ilar to the rollers. These were tilted on the sand in 
silence, and the cart moved off. " To your duty now, my 
merry men ; and let us see if Don Ambrosio's courage is 
water-proof.^^ In a moment the rollers were immediately 
under the front of the house, and the levers in the rear 
were manned. But I may as well here give you, dear 

II , an idea of the tenement that seemed to bid fair 

in a few minutes to be launched upon an unkindred 
element, and sent to sea Avithout rudder or compass. 

Tlie dwelling, then, you must know, of the unlucky 
Ambrosio, was a light frame one of two stories, having 
but one apartment on each floor : the first of which was 
used in the double capacity of sitting-room and kitchen, 
and the second as bedroom and dressing-room. And 
although the former communicated with the latter by a 
kind of stair-ladder, the ostensible and by far preferable 
means of access to the upper room was, as is common in 
the town of Pensacola, by a single flight of uncovered 
stairs, the first step of which sprang from the pavement 
immediately on the right of the house, while the last gave 
elevation to a little platform upon which the chamber or 
bedroom opened. The whole fabric was raised and sup- 
ported by four blocks of live-oak placed at the corners, 



116 LETTERS FROM TEE FRONTIERS, 

and allowing a free circulation of air beneath ; cellars in 
these sandy regions being of rare occurrence and less use. 
Such being the construction of the building, brief time 
was requisite to make the necessary arrangements in the 
rear. Other rollers were carried to the front, and laid at 
regular intervals to the water's edge. Everything was 
now ready, and the men only waited the signal from their 
popular leader to launch the household of Senor Ambrosio 
upon the briny deep. 

''Stay, my friends," spoke the leader. " Before we proceed 
further, let us give the Don one more opportunity to 
recant. Summon him to the door." 

The maskers, strongly prompted by the love of mischief, 
and eager to avenge an implied indignity, could with 
difficulty be restrained, and their call for Ambrosio was 
loud and imperious. Pierre waited a few moments for a 
reply ; and it was not without some little concern that he 
discovered the total indifference and contempt with which 
this his last resort was regarded. Not that he wavered 
in resolution; but he had anticipated all along that this 
demonstration would bring Ambrosio to terms. The mob 
became unruly ; the more violent of them swore they 
would wait no longer. Pierre seeing this, put spurs to his 
gallant steed, dashed at the stairway, and at the third 
bound was on the platform on the top. He raised over- 
head the heavy truncheon he held, and with the butt 
struck aorainst the door. As Ambrosio had taken less 
precaution in fortifying this point than the rest of his 
castle, not dreaming an attack on his sanctum sanctorum, 
the lock gave way beneath the blow ; the door flew open, 
and the horseman was revealed to the Spaniard at the 
very threshold of his bridal-chamber. The lady screamed ; 
sparks of fire flashed from the husband's eyes, and a ter- 
rible oath escaped from his compressed lips, as with both 
hands he seized the chair upon which he sat and whirled 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 117 

it above his head. Pierre seeing that all idea of a parley 
under such circumstances was oat of the question, settled 
himself in his saddle prepared to receive the assault. 
Although on a pinnacle of fearful height and diminutive- 
ness, he had confidence in the firmness of his horse, and 
knew that one blow of his truncheon would demolish the 
weapon of his enraged antagonist. What would have 
been the result of this marvellous rencontre it is impossible 
to say, had not the bride, with a courage truly character- 
istic, sprung like a tigress between them, and winding her 
arms in no idle dalliance about her lord's neck, effectually 
checked him in full career. In vain the little hero raved 
and stamped : he was in the hands of one who, more 
than his match, had no desire to see his blood shed on his 
own hearth-stone. 

" Carrahoe ! will you not stand out of my way ! Release 
me, hag ! Devil, undo your arms, I say ! Anibrosio will 
never suffer his house to be polluted while he can raise an 
arm or pull a trigger. Girl, paplfa, love, stand aside, and 
in the twinkling of an eye I '11 hurl this dare-devil from 
his eminence ! '' But the lady was not to be moved by 
threats or entreaties ; and having forcibly slid her arms 
over his shoulders, she succeeded in pinning the little Don, 
who, exhausted by the workings of his passions, dropped 
the chair from his clutch, and staggered back to a seat. 
Pierre taking advantage of the opportunity to expostulate, 
said aloud, — 

^' Listen to me, Ambrosio. One single rash act will be 
your ruin. I am here now, not as a persecutor, but as a 
friend. I have come to gratify no base feelings of petty 
revenge; bat to warn you of the folly of resisting the 
demands of the people. They want but little further 
opposition to drive them to violence, and then it may not 
be in my poAver to check them. Decide then at once, 
either to submit to their terms, or abide their fury." 



118 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

" Carrahoe! have I not told you my decision ?" faltered 
the breathless man. 

^' Are you aware," said Pierre, firmly, that your house 
is at this moment on rollers, and the impatient people but 
wait my signal to launch it into the bay, without remorse?" 
Ambrosio looked doubtingly. " Examine for yourself, 
my friend," said Pierre. 

The Spaniard walked to the window, and throwing 
open the sliutter, beheld the demoniac crowd below stationed 
at the levers. The peril, in which he beheld his property 
stood, and which he was now for the first time apprised 
of, staggered his resolve, and Avrought a change which no 
personal danger could have effected. His wife, who from 
the beginning of this affair had been in favor of his com- 
pliance with the will of the populace, again came forward. 
She had more strength of mind as well as more command 
of temper than her fiery little protector. She took him 
modestly by the hand and said, — 

" My friend, you will not deny me the first demand I 
make on your love. Consent to humor your townsmen ; 
and I will make ready to receive them immediately. Come, 
you will not refuse me — all will be well." 

A convulsive tremor passed over the face of the stout- 
hearted husband ; and taking his wife by the hand, he 
turned to Pierre and said, — 

^'I can do no more : manage tlie matter as you like;" 
and turning away, he threw himself upon a chair at the 
farther end of the room. 

Pierre now dismounted, and turning his horse's head 
about, touched him on the flank with his truncheon. The 
true-footed animal descended with the ease and agility of 
a cat. Pierre then entered the room, and approaching 
Ambrosio, said in a soothing tone, — 

" You are a brave man ; and I cannot but admire your 
conduct. You shall lose nothing by this affair. I pledge 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 119 

myself to make these fellows conduct themselves with all 
propriety. You will be prepared to receive them at an 
early hour.'^ 

So saying, he left the room and descended to his men. 
" You are victorious, my lads/' said he : " the Don admits 
your supremacy, and will be ready to entertain you as 
noble cavaliers, as soon as you can get yourselves ready 
and collect your sweethearts. So vanish and deck your- 
selves for the ball ; but first toss these logs into the bay, 
and let them go down with the tide.'' — In a few hours the 
walls of the lono; room in a building next to Ambrosio's 
were lighted, and were resounding to the music of a good 
band, and the gay Creoles were gliding through the in- 
tricacies of the Spanish contra-dance, and the ever varying 
fio;urcs of the waltz. The bride was all smiles. The 
groom all dignity. Pierre was there as Patron, in a full 
suit of black. 

All the actors in the late scene now had assumed their 
proper garb, and those who had lately been the most tur- 
bulent advocates of violence were now the most enjoues 
promoters of mirth and good-humor. 

The flexible and ever happy Creole girls were smiling, 
and as much at ease as if the entertainment had been the 
spontaneous effusion of the '' bon natureV instead of the 
compulsory requisition of a self-constituted authority. 



Cantonment Clinch, February. 

Dear H : A few evenings since I was invited to 

a " jyetit soujjer'^ at the hospitable domicil of our learned 
friend. Surgeon Coburn. He had invited Captain Bell and 
myself to meet Mr. McGregor, a thorough-bred Scotch- 
man, from Glasgow. The Doctor and himself were inti- 
mate friends, though two persons more unlike in some 
respects would not be met with in a long summer's day. 



120 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

There were, however, certain traits alike in both, which in 
persons of the same sex beget friendship, just as they in 
persons of different sexes beget love at first sight. Be 
that as it may, there was a genial feeling between them ; 
and though they often differed, as was inevitable, yet they 
were always firm friends. 

Premising so much, I will only say that the Captain 
and myself reported at the hour appointed, and the 
Scotchman appeared soon after. 

"Ah ! Mac," cried the Doctor, as the former entered the 
room, " happy to see you. Hope you 're well, as I have a 
little treat in store for you that will make your eyes 
sparkle, if there is any spirit of Epicurus in you." 

"Well, I assure you, I'm happy to wait on you," 
returned, laconically, the Scot; and then added, "I'm all 
impatience to learn what novelty the prolific brain of my 
friend Surgeon Coburn has ushered into being." 

"Ah ! ah ! In due time you shall see ; but it is not time 
yet. I took a look at Robert, in the kitchen, just now; 
for although no one disputes his ability in his particular 
line, yet, if I have anything extra or peculiar, I like to 
have it done under my own supervision." 

So saying, he took off his coat, rolled up his shirt- 
sleeves, and pinning a large towel in front of him, repaired 
to the kitchen. 

" What in the name of wonder. Captain," said McGregor, 
" is the Doctor going to give us for supper ? " 

"The Lord knows," said Bell, laughing; "the prepara- 
tion indicates something extraordinary ; time only will 
enlighten us. The Doctor sometimes likes to take his 
friends by surpri.se." 

No one seemed disposed to talk ; the Scot poked the 
fire impatiently with his cane; Bell hummed to himself 
sci-aps of catches ; and for myself, I was employed in con- 
jecturing what new dish we ^vere to be regaled with. At 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 121 

length the little man made his appearance, with a face like 
a full moon, smiling with self-approbation, and reddened 
by the heat of the kitchen-fire. Having resumed his 
coat and gulped a glass of wine, he said, with that eager- 
ness of articulation which at times he exhibited when 
hugely excited, but never otherwise, — 

"It — it — it's hot work, Mac; but I — I hit it to a 
turn. The old dog Apicius might Avish he hadn't hanged 
himself, could he get a sniff of that roast." 

"Roast what?" inquired the Scot, with eagerness. 

" Thou shalt see anon ; thou shalt see di — directly." 

In a few minutes the door opened, and black Frangois 
entered with a tureen of gomho file, a special favorite in 
the South. Few words passed during the first course ; 
the soldiers doing honor to the host's science; and the 
Scot, nothing loth to pay his devoi?-, highly extolled the 
dish as it was removed ; and, indeed, to do the Doctor 
but justice, there were few better cooks than himself. As 
the wine passed round after the "gombo," the host — 
having suffered a bumper to glide slowly down his 
gullet — hemmed thrice, and addressing himself more 
particularly to liis friend Mac, said, — 

"The bird and its accompaniments, which you are now 
to discuss, I received as a valuable j)resent from my par- 
ticular friend Monsieur La Rue, who, as you probably are 
aware, resides in the country near the head of Escambia 
Bay." 

As he finished speaking, Francois placed before his 
master a large dish, on which was a wild goose, — a noble 
bird indeed, — evidently one that had been trapped and 
fattened by the person from whom it came. McGregor 
silently expressed his admiration of the fat goose ; but he 
could not conjecture, with his sliglit experience of the cus- 
toms of the country, and his imperfect knowledge of its 
cuisine, what were the white, very white pieces, apparently 
11 



122 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

of flesh, with which the goose was surrounded. He, how- 
ever, preserved a deferential silence, trusting to the kind- 
ness of his host to explain. " I have already said," re- 
sumed Coburn, " I received yesterday from my friend La 
Rue a wild goose and a brace of fine raUlesnaJcesJ' 

" The devil you did ! " interrupted, rather vehemently, 
the McGregor. And the astonished Scot, setting down his 
wine-glass rather suddenly, shivered it into a thousand 
atoms. 

" Even so, Mac," replied the Surgeon with impertur- 
bable gravity ; " I ate them at my friend's house not a 
month ago, and permit me to inform you, that the animal 
is a bonne bouche for Epicurus himself." 

" Very possibly," replied the Scot, with equal gravity ; 
" but may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, and 
my jaws forget their office, if ever I incontinently taste 
so vile a reptile. Pah ! give me a glass, Frangois. Cap- 
tain, I'll thank you for the wine." 

" Mr. McGregor," said the Surgeon, a little nettled at 
his friend's obduracy, " you only expose your ignorance 
by contemning the light which modern philosophy has 
thrown on the science of gastronomy. As the art of eating 
among the Romans w^as the most gross and luxurious, so 
is the science of the French of the present day the most 
refined and delicate, and founded on the strictest rules of 
Hygiene and social enjoyment. And as snails and bull- 
frogs are acknowledged dainties at the tables of the most 
iastidious, you, sir, have no right to deny the rattlesnake 
that place among the rarer viands of this country, which 
the w^hiteness and tenderness of its flesh, and the delicious- 
ness of its flavor, must ever entitle it to hold." 

McGregor first deliberately helped himself to wine, 
and then replied, without turning towards his host, — 

" Plain fare is sufficient for me." 

Coburn eyed him for a moment as if about to retort ; 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 123 

but his bonhomie getting the better of his pique, and see- 
ing, from his friend's cahn countenance, there was little 
prospect of converting him to the orthodox view of the 
matter ; and, besides this, the goose and its garnishment 
were in danger of getting cool, he deferred further argu- 
ment for the present. With the winning manner which 
he could assume when it pleased him, he offered his friend 
a piece of the breast of the goose, saying it was the part 
farthest from the reptile. The Scot politely accepted this 
proffer of reconciliation, and peace and good feeling were 
at once restored ; in fact, the two men respected each other 
too much to entertain for more than a moment an unkindly 
feeling towards one another. The Captain and myself both 
declared in favor of the reptile ; he, from taste, having 
eaten of it before; I, from curiosity. Our host, thus sup- 
ported in favor of his thesis by two against one, soon lost 
all sense of displeasure which the unguarded expression 
of his friend had engendered. He ate heartily himself; 
he enlarged, unopposed, on the lights of science ; and the 
Scot giving in to the humor of the hour, a pleasant kind 
of wit in which our host was unsurpassed, and merriment, 
in which all participated, crowned the evening's enter- 
tainment. 



Cantonment Clinch, February. 

Dear H ; Ever since I became acquainted with 

the history of that unhappy but guilty Cuban, Antonio, 
in whose impending fate I covM not, in spite of myself, 
but entertain an intense interest, I have carefully examined 
the Havana journals which reach us by casual arrivals 
once or twice a fortnight, for information that would throw 
liglit upon his movements since he took his departure 
from Captain Bell's quarters. At the liotel yesterday 
morning, as I took up the latest paper from the Cuban 



124 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

capital, an article at once caught my eye which I will 
translate for you, though perhaps you are a more finished 
Spanish scliolar than myself. 

The caption of the article was in large capitals and in 
these words : — 

"Capture and Death of the Notorious Pirate An- 
tonio MOZELA, ALIAS RaMON ChUMPA. 

"The particulars as we have received them are as follows: 
Don Adolphus Bahia, a wealthy merchant of this city, having 
purchased the crop 'de tabacos de la Vuelta de Abaxo/ had 
sailed in a fine bark, in order to be present at the taking on 
board of this valuable tobacco, which he was anxious to see 
carefully bestowed. His voyage had been in every respect 
successful, when on the morning of the 5th inst., while enter- 
ing the harbor, and almost under the guns of the ^loro Castle, 
the vessel was hailed by a small schooner, which, the wind 
being light, came alongside, and calling to the man at the 
helm, asked if they might have a small keg of water, as they 
had been twenty-four hours without a drop. Don Adolphus 
being on deck at the time, went to the side of the vessel where 
the schooner was holding on. The moment he showed him- 
self above the rail of the bark, the pirate sprang on board, 
and with a fearful execration attacked Don Adolphus with a 
stiletto. The latter was not slow to draw his weapon and 
defend himself. The pirate closed upon him ; the two at once 
clenched each other, and before the captain of the bark 
reached the deck of his vessel, they had fallen to the deck 
locked in each other's arms. When separated, Don Adolphus 
was discovered to be already dead, having been pierced 
through the heart. The hardened pirate was dying from a 
similar wound, and lived but a few moments after he was 
separated from his victim ; but ere he breathed his last, he 
raised himself on his elbow% and looking up towards heaven, 
cried with an exulting voice, ' I am satisfied ! the last scion 
of that accursed house has perished by my hand !' With the 
last expiration of these words he fell back dead. 



7?r GEORGE A. McCALL. 125 

" In the meantime the schooner had shoved off, and taking 
advantage of the slight breeze which scarcely filled the sails 
of the bark, was out of reach before the confusion caused by 
the death of Don Adolphus had subsided on board. We 
regret to have to state that the rest of the pirates escaped. 
Whether any cause of enmity towards the house of Don 
Adolphus existed, is not known ; but this is the second vessel 
of Don Adolphus, loaded with the tobacco from ' the lower 
Pass,' that has been attacked within a few years past. In 
the former instance the crew were allowed to take their boat; 
but the vessel, with her cargo, was burned. It was stated at 
the time that this same pirate Antonio led the party, but 
nothing positive was known." 

Having read this sad, but not altogether unlooked-for 
termination of a life not long but full of w^oe, I ordered 
my mare Kate, and rode to the cantonment with the 
paper. I knew that Captain Bell had caused inquiry to 
be made for Diego, but up to the last time I saw him, 
without success. He, Diego, had not returned to his 
dwelling ; nor had his \vife been seen there for a long time. 
After reading the notice in the Havana paper, Bell told 
me that the man he had employed to hunt ftp the traces 
of the missing man Diego, had reported to him on the 
day previous, that a half-breed Indian, wdio had at different 
times been employed as a boat-hand by Diego, had been, 
within a day or two, seen in Pensacola, but had denied 
kno\ving anything of the latter. Bell had then caused 
the man to be brought to him. He said, this man had been 
with him for an hour just before my arrival ; that he had 
taken down in WTiting wdiat the half-breed had, after much 
prevarication and unwillingness to tell wdiat he knew", con- 
fessed. I w^ill give you the substance of what Bell had 
taken in w^ritino;. The Indian acknowledp;ed that he and 
another had been with Diego wdien Senor Antonio had the 
interview^ wdth him. That when the latter came on board 
11* 



126 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, i 

their fishing-smack below the Barranca, it was arranged 
that the vessel was to proceed to Blakely, where Antonio 
was to meet them. They arrived at the port, and waited 
one day before Antonio came on board. That, as soon as 
he arrived, he handed Diego a heavy purse of gold : nothing 
was said by either, but the anchor was weighed and they 
sailed immediately. On arriving off the entrance to 
Havana, they lay to till the next morning, when they saw 
a vessel coming in. Sail was made, and the little schooner 
came alongside of the vessel and held on with a boat-hook. 
That, after asking for water, Senor Antonio leapt on board, 
and they were all to follow him ; but Diego's heart failed 
him, and letting go the vessel, he put the helm down, 
and left Senor Antonio fighting on board the strange 
vessel. What became of him, they did not know. That 
Diego steered for the mouth of the Perdido. On arriving 
there, they moored their schooner ; and his companion was 
left in charge, while he, the informer, was directed to 
accompany Diego to his house. On the way he heard a 
rifle-shot, and at the report Diego fell. On looking round 
he perceived a Mus-ko-ghe emerge from the thicket, who 
motioned to him not to fly, as he was his friend. When 
the Indian came up, he informed the half-breed that Diego 
had attempted his life, and he pointed to a wound on the 
upper part of his shoulder, and then to the spot in front 
where the bullet had been taken out. He then examined 
the body, for life was already extinct, and took from 
Diego's belt, the purse he had received from Antonio. 
Then drawing his knife, he took the scalp from the pros- 
trate body, and without saying more, strode ofl" in the 
direction from which he had advanced. The half-breed then 
proceeded to Diego's house, and told his wife what had 
happened. He remained there that night ; but when he 
rose in the morning, the woman had disappeared, and had 
not since been seen. As soon as the Captain liad received 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 127 

the half-breecFs narrative, he dispatched Jupiter on a good 
horse, to visit the spot as described and ascertain the truth. 
On his return, Jupiter confirmed the man's statement; 
whereupon the Captain sent witli Jupiter a soldier in a 
light wagon for the body, and had given directions for its 
proper interment in the Catholic burial-ground. You will 
not fail to recognize in the Indian who shot Diego the 
Mus-ko-ghe who was wounded by him on the day I rode 
with Carlota and Josephine to the mouth of the Bayou 
Grande, and the scene we there witnessed. 

As I found that Bell was much impressed with these 
occurrences, and not disposed to converse, I bade him 
good-day, and rode back to town, where I called on Car- 
lota, and related to her the denouement of the story of 
which she had previously heard something. 



Pensacola, February 26, 1823. 

Dear H : Some few days ago, orders came from 

Washington, directing four companies of our Regiment, 
under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Geo. M. Brooke, 
to proceed to Tampa Bay, and establish a Military Post, 
within the territory of the Seminole Indians, at some point 
on the navigable waters of.the Bay. Transports have been 
ordered to be sent from New Orleans ; and it is understood 
that a brig and a topsail schooner will be at Pensacola 
immediately, to take the troops on board. I have only 
just now been notified that the company to which I 
belong is one of those selected for this service. Little 
time have I to take leave of friends, and pack up for the 
voyage. The latter is an afiair of little interest ; but I 
shall feel deeply the parting with many friends I have 
had the good fortune to meet with here. Foremost of 
these are Surgeon Coburn, who, as I believe I mentioned 



128 LETTEIIS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

to you, is the senior surgeon of this district, and Medical 
Director, and from whom I have received much very 
valuable instruction, besides kindnesses without end ; and 
Capt. Bell, who has wound himself so com})ietely round 
my heart that I know not how to part from him. Car- 
lota will take my hand, and laughing roguishly bid me 
take care of myself; but will shed no tears. Adieu. 



EspiRiTU Santo Bay, March. 

My dear Father : — AVe sailed on the 

27tli of February, at noon. My company had the good 
fortune to be with the head-quarters, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Geo. M. Brooke, on board the brig Williani and Henry 
of Boston, Capt. Wainwright, a line vessel and well sup- 
plied. 

Three of the companies were on the brig; the fourth 
was on the topsail schooner Rachael of New York : both 
of which vessels had just delivered freight from their 
respective ports at New Orleans. 

We were soon at sea, with light breezes ; the weather 
delicious. 

Late at night — when most of the officers had retired — 
I went on deck to take a look at the weather, before tiirn- 
ing in to my berth. 

It was a lovelv nio;ht ; the vessel was o^lidino^ alono; 
moderately on her course, almost without motion ; the 
temperature mild ; my mind was full of anticipations of 
novel service in the heart of the Indian country, and of 
the pleasures I should enjoy in the chase. 

All was bright ; all was calm, save the gentle ripple of 
the sea upon the cut-water of the vessel ; all was silent, 
save the murmur of the sails as they bent to the light 
breeze. '' \\^\\\xi a heavenly scene ! What a sea ! and 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 129 

what a sky ! ^' I breathed to myself. But when we are 
happy, — and then I was happy, — all that we look upon 
is reflected in the bright mirror of our own hearts. I sat 
down to muse over the past and the future as it loomed 
out before me. Anon came that light slumber which steals 
insensibly over the senses ; refreshing the wearied frame, 
while it leaves the ever active mind to sport in sunny fields 
where the asperities of life are softened and subdued by 
the misty veil whicli imagination throws over their rugged 
features. O ! dreams of blessed security ; so alluring 
are thy visions, they make us sometimes wish that half 
our life were passed in such sweet slumbers. The next 
day the weather thickened ; the wind began to blow ; the 
sea grew rough and rougher; the vessel was decidedly 
uncomfortable, and the odor of the bilge-water coming 
from the disturbed lower regions was scarcely tolerable to 
one from the balsamic pine forests around the quiet bay 
of Pensacola. I found the atmosphere below deck was 
anything but inviting ; I repaired on deck ; and in a little 
w^hile you might have seen most of the land-officers man- 
fully maintaining their dignity by walking scientific zig- 
zags on deck; while others sought quiet, even on a hen- 
coop. The "ensemble" was to me ludicrous enough. 
This was my second voyage, and I almost considered 
myself — when it moderated a little — quite a " sea-dog." 
As night approached, it came harder upon us ; and as 
Captain ^yainwright calculated that we were about oppo- 
site the mouth of Espiritu Santo Bay, he reported to the 
Colonel that he should " lie off and on" till daylight. A 
pretty disagreeable night we had of it, I assure you, for 
it blew great gum. About eight o'clock in the morning, 
as we returned from one of our " offis/' as the captain 
called them ; meaning, I presume, stearing off the land, 
while " lying on" I conclude, was coming back on the 
same track, or in our case, on the same latitude. In land 

I 



130 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

phrase, then, I will say, as we approached the land, the 
captain, who proved to be a fearless sailor as well as a 
cautious one, having confidence in his reckoning, and 
seeing from the masthead what looked like an opening in 
the coast, ran in till we could see the mouth of the Bay, 
and breakers running half-mast high on each side. This 
he considered a sufficiently favorable time to run in, 
which he did, in fact, beautifully, and no doubt skilfully. 
I believe all hands were well pleased when he cast anchor 
inside a well land-locked harbor. Here we lay at anchor 
several days, while an exploring party set out, in the yawl, 
to look for signals of the presence of Colonel Gadsden, a 
United States Engineer, who had been ordered from 
Washington to proceed to San Augustine, and thence cross 
the peninsula to the Gulf coast at the head of this Bay, 
where he was to examine the surrounding country, with a 
view to selecting the site of the military post ordered to 
be established. The Bay of Espiritu Santo, at the dis- 
tance of five-and-twenty miles from its mouth, branches ; 
the western or principal arm is Tampa, and the eastern, 
Hillsborough Bay. Upon the point of land separating 
these arms, the party in the boat discovered a staff erected 
on the beach, having a small piece of muslin flying from 
its head. On landing, they found fastened to the post a 
letter from Colonel Gadsden, addressed to Colonel Brooke, 
saying that he was encamped at the mouth of Hillsborough 
River, at the head of the bay of that name, where he would 
await the arrival of Colonel Brooke. The party then 
returned to the brig, which they reached about sunset. 
The next morning the Colonel ordered the yawl along- 
side, and with his Adjutant and Quartermaster proceeded 
to the mouth of the Hillsborough to meet the Engineer. 
In the meantime several of the officers, including myself, 
took our guns and one of the boats, to explore the islands. 
We first visited Egraont on the south of the channel. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 131 

The growth is live-oak, red cedar, and the palmetto or 
cabbage tree, whose shafts were some of them about forty 
or fifty feet in height. These trees were sparsely scattered 
over the island, except near the centre, where the live- 
oak and cedar form quite a '^ hummock^' or thick wood. 
AVe found " sign '' of deer, though none were seen ; but the 
gray pelican, several species of gulls, and great numbers 
of crows Avere observed. I was at once struck with the 
manners and the voice of the crows, which appeared to me 
to be quite distinct from those of our Northern bird, and 
its size seemed less. \^Note by the editor in 1867. This 
shows close observation. It was the " Fish Crow/^ Corvus 
Ossifragus of Wilson.] 

Little occurred of interest for several davs durino; the 
absence of the Colonel. On referring to my journal, I 
find: — 

February 28. At sea ; weather rough and very disagreeable. 

February 29. Made entrance of Espiritu Santo Bay and ran 

in. Schooner Rachael followed. 
March 1. Boat party sent to look for United States 

Engineer ; returned at sunset with letter from him found 

twenty-five miles up the bay. 

March 2. The Colonel takes boat for mouth of Hillsborough 
to confer with him. 

Went ashore on Millet Key; saw three deer, but did not 
get a shot. The interior shore of this island, for half a 
mile or more, is covered with the mangrove, which grows 
and flourishes in the sand from one hundred feet beyond 
high-water mark (on the very slight or almost imper- 
ceptible rise in the land) to the very verge of low-water 
mark. The limit to which the growth of this plant 
is confined is within a cove of the extent above stated, 
where the spawn of the oyster (such as may escape from 
the vast beds which cover a large part of the bottom of 
the interior of this noble bay of Espiritu Santo) are col- 



132 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

lected, and floating on the ebb tide attach themselves to 
the root-extending branches of the mangrove, by the gluti- 
nous matter which covers their exterior ; and as they grow 
in size are found, as it were, growing on trees ! I gathered 
some of them about three inches long from l;)ranches which, 
as the tide was falling, were from twelve to fourteen inches 
above water ; and as the tide was still falling would, of 
course, before the flood be still further from their natural 
element. I opened three with my hunting-knife and found 
them full of water, so tightly were the shells closed, which 
of course sufficed to sustain life until the next tide. As I 
was passing around this cove, it was about lunch-time, so I 
walked into the shallow water and opened and ate about a 
dozen of the best of them. They were well flavored, though 
not fat oysters. 

The mangrove is propagated by seed, and throws out its 
root-branches to seaward, forming a closely connected mass 
of branches and roots, extending, as I have said, to low- 
water mark ; and so closely intermingled at top, that a man 
may proceed by half-climbing, half-walking, as far as his 
inclination or purpose may lead him, without descending 
to " terra fi7i7ia" or salt water. I may truly say I was 
much interested in much that I saw, and returned to the 
brig at close of day, having had a day of pleasure to be 
remembered. 

March 3. Col. Brooke still absent ; but the Quartermaster 
has returned, with orders for the troops to disembark on 
the point which separates the arms of the bay, and thence 
march to the mouth of Hillsborough River, where it is 
decided to establish the post. The vessels will move up in 
the morning. A party of officers went ashore to-day and 
killed a fine buck. 

March 4. We have landed, and will soon march about four 
miles to the position we are destined to occupy. The 
vessels are "lightening,'' and will be discharged as soon as 
they shall have discharged our camp equipage and subsist- 
ence stores. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 133 

March 5. We are encamped on rising ground, where the 
' river comes into the bay at right angles with the shore. 
All hands on fatigue-duty, clearing the ground in our rear 
of dense undergrowth, but leaving all trees (they are mag- 
nificent live-oaks) untouched. The work progresses finely, 
the men w^orking with a will. 

March 6 to 15. Every day like the one preceding. Troops 
in the pine woods cutting timber, for log quarters for 
officers and barracks for the men. 



Fort Brooke, Head of Hillsborough Bay, March 28. 

My dear Father : — We have now been established 
here, I may say, about a month. We are encamped on 
a point of elevated land lying between the mouth of 
Hillsborough River and the bay of that name — near its 
head. Our camp extends under a canopy of the most 
superb trees I ever beheld ; and as the temperature is 
from 75*^ to 80° Fahrenheit, you may readily conceive how 
delightful is the noontide shade they aiford. These giant 
live-oaks throw out their huge limbs at a distance of six 
to ten feet from the ground ; these enormous limbs, as large 
as the trunks of common trees, extend in an almost hori- 
zontal direction for ten or fifteen feet, then spreading and 
rising to the height of fifty or sixty feet, form a dense 
round head that is a perfect parasol. Their great limbs 
and their smaller branches are hung w^ith long pendants 
of the Spanish moss, and with festoons of the yellow 
jes.samine which has been in bloom, with clusters of bright- 
yellow flowers, ever since we have been here. The pro- 
gress of the work is quite satisfactory. The walls of the 
men's barracks are already eight or nine feet high ; they 
will be about twelve feet, to give the free circulation of 
air so essential in a liot climate. 

These buildings are of pine logs, and are raised by notch- 
12 



134 LETTFAIS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

ing the logs down, one upon another. The quarters for 
the officers will not be commenced until the barracks for 
the men are roofed in and floored. We had quite an excite- 
ment in the camp a few days ago, Avhich was allayed or 
terminated in as sudden and mysterious a way as it had 
arisen. 

At about half past nine in the morning of the day I 
alluded to, the sentinel at the point of land between the 
river and the bay shore, who had standing orders to report 
the approach of all vessels as soon as they came in sight, 
called out, '^ Sail ho ! '^ The word was instantly repeated 
at the body of the guard, and in a few moments officers 
and men were upon the open space overlooking the bay, 
eagerly gazing seaward with their telescopes at several 
distant sails that in a few hours would bring them news 
from home and the world at large. Big Corporal Lam- 
bert, the Colonel's cockswain, was seen striding along, 
full of importance, towards head-quarters, to ask if the 
Colonel would have his twelve-oared barge out and go on 
board. He was gratified by being told to have his boat 
and boat's crew in apple-pie order in half an hour. 

The Colonel, with his telescope in hand, then joined a 
group of officers collected at a point where they had a fair 
view of the distant but slowly approaching vessels, exam- 
ining with their glasses the changes of position they under- 
went. Four — now five sail are distinctly discernible. 
Some of the gentlemen even pronounced one of them a 
topsail schooner, another a brig. ^' But what could hav'e 
brought so many transports together?" was sagaciously 
asked by one. '' Perhaps more troops are coming to rein- 
force us," another replied. ^' Or a six months' supply of 
subsistence and forage," suggested a third. 

^^ I should not be at all surprised," said the Colonel, 
" to find General Scott, who is known to have been on a 
visit of inspection in the Southern States, now a passenger 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 135 

on one of them. Gentlemen, be pleased to shave, dress, 
and be ready to accompany me in my barge in half an 
hour. We will meet the General and his staff, and give 
them a cordial welcome in the style he likes so well." 

All gave another lingering look with the glasses ; and 
all were well satisfied that, whoever was on board, the 
vessels would be at anchor in the mouth of the river ere 
two or three hours had passed. 

The officers repaired to their tents and put themselves 
in full uniform, while the Colonel, having also donned 
his best suit, ordered refreshments to be prepared, and 
made all requisite arrangements to receive his distinguished 
guest. At length the officers began to assemble at head- 
quarters, and as the Colonel came forth from his tent, 
they moved with stately step towards the wharf, where the 
splendid double-banked barge, made in New York ex- 
pressly for the commanding officer of this post, after speci- 
fications forwarded by the Colonel, lay with her crew, in 
their white shirts and trousers and round hats, on board, 
with oars in hand ready to '■^et-falV at the word. The 
Colonel was just in the act of stepping into the stern- 
sheets, where eight or ten persons could comfortably sit, 
when some one in a startled voice cried out, ^^ Where, 
where are the vessels!^' All regards were simultaneously 
directed down the bay. Men rubbed their eyes and could 
not yet believe them. Bewildered countenances were 
turned on each other, asking an explanation no one 
ventured for a few moments to express ; until Colonel 
Brooke, drawing a long breath, ejaculated, ^' Mirage ! as 
I live!^^ and with a good-natured laugh added, "Fairly 
caught, gentlemen ; but come to head-quarters and we will 
discuss the refreshments prepared for our beloved General, 
as well as this wonderful phenomenon. Mirage.'^ 

That at this discussion various opinions were offered 
respecting mirage, I do not doubt ; one only, I will under- 



136 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

take to say, respecting the ColonePs refreshments, for no 
one is more liberal or more amiable than he ; and tliough 
he, as well as others, may have his weak points or queer 
conceits, which are as undisguised as they are harmless, 
yet his many sterling qualities will always gain him the 
aifection and warm regard of those around him. All this 
was the universal subject of conversation when I returned 
in the evening from fatigue-duty down the bay, on which 
I had been employed that day. On inquiring of those 
about me at what hour the mirage had been seen, and the 
direction in which it had appeared, I was fortunately ena- 
bled to throw some light upon the subject, — I mean as to 
its immediate and direct cause. 

Immediately after reveille, I went out with a party of 
axe-men to cut pine logs for the buildings. A tract of 
land, where tlie kind of timber desired was abundant, was 
immediately on the north shore of the bay, about two 
miles below our camp. The custom of the soldiers, when 
going out on this duty, is to take simply their bowl of 
coffee, which is prepared before reveille, and, without 
further delay, to march out to work. After working till 
about nine o'clock, they have half an hour for breakfast. 
As I always observe the same rules in this respect as are 
maintained by my party or command, I had ordered the 
w ork to cease at nine o'clock ; and, after making my own 
breakfast, I took up my gun and walked down to the 
water's edge. Here w^as a high, rocky point, and extend- 
ing out from it was a sand-spit of several hundred yards 
in length ; the tide was at the time out, and this spit was 
bare of water, and covered with a thin veil of fog or mist. 
On reaching the water's edge, I discovered, through the 
mist, five sandhill cranes on the end of the sand-spit, feed- 
ing on the small molkiscs and salt-w^ater insects left by the 
receding tide. Thinking that I might, by advancing cau- 
tiously, get within range of these fine fowls without at- 



I 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 137 

tracting their attention, I stepped upon the sand, and had 
approached almost within the range of my double-barrel, 
when the cranes, alarmed by the appearance of an enemy, 
however indistinct through the mist, took wing ; and at 
the same hour the five vessels, which had been seen in the 
exact direction, as afterwards ascertained by the compass, 
likewise took wing, and disappeared or vanished from the 
bewildered gaze of Colonel Brooke and his officers, and 
the whole camp. The former comprehended the phenom- 
enon ; but of the latter there were many who talked much 
of the spirits of a ship's crew reported to have been mur- 
dered by pirates off* the mouth of the bay not very long 
before. 

The mirage I accounted for in this way : the light mist 
which enveloped the cranes, owing to its moisture, or, in 
other words, owing to the vapor contained in the lower 
stratum of the atmosphere, that layer was less dense than 
the superincumbent layers ; and the rays of light coming 
from the sun, at that hour of the morning, in an oblique 
direction, and meeting in this mist the surface of a less 
refracting medium, were thence returned to their original 
medium at an angle tliat caused the images (i. e. the cranes) 
to appear higlier than in reality they were. I say images; 
because in mirage, as you, of course, know, there are two 
of the same object, the one erect, the other inverted, like 
the image of a ship and its shadow in the water below. 
But I have run this letter out to a long yarn, and will 
close with a gentle good-night. 

P. S. — I believe I mentioned that Colonel Gadsden 
begged leave to name this embryo station '^ Fort BrooJce/' 
in honor of our commanding officer; and the latter re- 
turned the compliment by naming the point of land which 
separates the two bays, and where the Engineer's letter was 
found, '^Gadsdea^s PointJ'^ 
12- 



138 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 



Camp Brooke, Head of Hillsborough Bay. 

My dear Brother: — Summer is advancing on us in 
earnest, and no little concern is manifested in some quar- 
ters as to the prospect before us of a healthy season. We 
are in the middle of May, and thus far, I can say, the 
climate has been unexceptionably good ; the daily changes 
in the weather, or rather, I should say, hourly changes, 
are as regular as is the circuit described by the hands of a 
town-clock. Far exemple, the record of one day, which 
I will give you, will answer for every day for a month : — ■ 
Morning, bright and cheering; noontide, too sultry for 
pleasure in out-of-door work; afternoon, invariably a 
heavy shower for half an hour ; followed by sunset, clear 
and serene ; and night, perfectly glorious. But the wise- 
acres say, " Can you from this tell what will come in Au- 
gust or September? We are at the junction of fresh and 
salt water, which is not favorable to health. ^^ In fact, I 
believe there have arisen in the minds or imaginations of 
some gallant men, who have unflinchingly faced death in 
battle, phantoms of miasmata, of noxious exhalations from 
unseen and unknown marshes, of local causes of yellow 
fever, and other fatal maladies which exist only in their 
own excited brains ; and, in consequence, the desolation of 
the hour that may be in store for us all. 

To these croakers I pay no regard. I hunt deer — for 
there are always some in season in this latitude — when- 
ever the spirit of Nimrod comes over me, regardless of the 
sun ; and I fish or ride whenever I am not on duty, cither 
fatigue duty in the forest, or under arms in camp. By 
the by, the lower bay is the finest oyster-ground on the 
continent. You will say, '' That is a bold assertion ; '' 
but, in good faith, I have not eaten such oysters anywhere. 
A boat's crew is detailed from the command twice a week, 
and they never fail to procure enough for all. The fish- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 139 

ing is also marvellous, and I am really unwilling to stake 
my credibility on a statement of the quantity and quality 
of fish sometimes taken by a single haul of the seine; but 
I will say, I have been out with a crew of seven men, 
(cockswain and six oarsmen,) when within one mile of 
camp we have hauled a good, large seine, and as it was 
draw^n into shoal water, it was found to be so loaded with 
redfish that the men could not drag it further; and I 
walked into the water with five of the men, while two on 
shore held the ends of the seine, and carried out fish from 
fifteen to twenty pounds, until the remainder could be 
-hauled in ; and this was a thing of not very unfrequent 
occurrence. The finest fish caught here are the '^7rdfish '' 
and ''sheep^s-head; '' but many others are abundant, namely, 
di-um, flounder, sole, mullet, sea-trout, &c., &c. 

When, as frequently, you may find a shoal of redfish 
near shore ; if you have a throw-out line, with a slip of salt 
pork-skin on the hook, you may have the finest sport in 
hauling in the largest and best fish, — as I have already 
remarked, redfish weighing twenty-five or thirty pounds, — 
until you become fatigued with the labor of prosecuting 
a diversion so attractive to one who is devoted to field 
sports. To convey to you some idea of the fish brought in 
twdce a week, I will only say, that, on return of the fishing 
detail, the boat in toAV, into wdiich the fish are throw^n 
when taken, is unloaded and the fish laid out on the wharf. 
The fish-call is sounded, and tlie orderly sergeants appear 
with two men and a handbarrow, and carry ofi^as many as 
they want for their companies ; any Indians that may be 
about are then allowed to help themselves ; and the rem- 
nant is then taken by the C^^olonel's boat's crew, and buried 
to make compost for that officer's garden. The different 
officers, as well as the mess of officers, I need not say have 
previously been supplied. 

Apropos dcs sauvages : I have made the Indian charac- 



140 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

ter a subject of some study since I have been at this post. 
I have not only been present at all the official ^' talks ^' 
held with them ; but I have frequently had the leading 
men at my tent, and have conversed a good deal with them 
through the Interpreter. If I am to regard what I have 
read of other tribes, or what I have learned from persons 
who have been among them, I am disposed to consider 
these Indians — the Seminoles — as amongst the most in- 
telligent of the red men on our borders. For some weeks 
after our arrival they were evidently suspicious as to the 
object of the Government in sending troops into their 
country, and they did not come near us ; nor was it until 
an officer, accompanied by an interpreter, was sent to the 
nearest town with the assurance that we came as friends, 
and bearing an invitation from the commanding officer to 
the chief to visit us, that we saw anything of them. In 
a day or two, however, the chief came, accompanied by 
half a dozen of his braves. The ceremony was very 
formal ; they were well dressed, and really men of dignity 
and good breeding as far as externals may be trusted. Of 
much that has been written of the red man, there is little 
that is of a stamp to be relied upon. 

Some writers have drawn the Indian character couleur 
derose — all courage, generosity, and magnanimity; others 
have represented them as devoid of all the noble or esti- 
mable qualities which elevate man above the brute creation. 
Both pictures may be, and no doubt are, correct portraits 
of individuals of any of the various tribes which inhabit 
the vast wilds contiguous to cultivated North America. 
But neither, I think from what I have seen, should be 
received as a true delineation of the red man. The Sem- 
inoles, for I speak of them only, are in some respects not 
below the standard of the white man : they have equal, 
perhaps superior, quickness of perception, but want 
strength and depth of reason, and consequently are with- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 141 

out sound judgment. They are adroit in planning, and 
in the prosecution of their plans have equal perseverance. 
The difference in the development of the intellectual facul- 
ties as well as the moral, had they been by nature equal 
in the two races, which I am satisfied is not the case ; the 
difference, I say, in education, or, in other words, the 
habitual exercise of the mental and moral faculties in the 
different pursuits of savage and civilized life, would, in 
the course of ages, have produced the difference between 
the white man and the red which now exists. 

But the Indian has not lost his social sensibility nor 
his paternal and filial affection, as I have witnessed on 
several occasions ; and I will at some other time give you 
instances clearly and strongly illustrating what I say. 
The Indian has an instinctive love of fame which prompts 
him to individual deeds of signal gallantry. Revenge 
is a cherished virtue, and ever leads to acts of diabol- 
ical cruelty. His courage is always restrained by jiru- 
dence, and he will never undertake a hazardous measure 
unless the chances are greatly in his favor. Although 
these Indians were suspicious and consequently cautious at 
first, as I have stated, a favorable impression was very 
soon produced by the judicious management of the com- 
manding officer, assisted by all under him ; and I believe 
there is not now an Indian of note in the whole Seminole 
nation that I do not know personally, from Micanopy 
^' the king" down. The town nearest to us, (at a distance 
of twelve miles,) and the first w^ith which we opened com- 
munication, is ^' Thlonoto-sasa,'' which translated is "Flint- 
abundant J' It numbers about two hundred souls, and is 
under the rule of " Tustenuggee-thlock-ko," the "Stout 
Chief y An incident occurred a month ago which afforded 
one of many instances of filial affection to which I have 
alluded. In few words you have it here. 

It happened one day, that, among the motley crowd of 



142 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

visitors that graced our camp, — for there are grades or 
classes, the result of wealth or talent, with Indians as well 
as other peoples, — there were present a man of the better 
class, of thirty years, and his wife, of twenty, with a pretty 
child of two years. This Indian and his wife were by all 
of us much admired for their personal beauty, and esteemed 
for their quiet, yet dignified but always respectful bear- 
ing whenever addressed. They seemed to be a model of 
conjugal happiness : never seen apart, never jarred by any 
clashing of separate inclinations or motives. The husband 
was, I think, the most perfectly formed man I ever be- 
held, and graceful in every motion ; the wife, in addition 
to uncommon personal attractions, was ever scrupulously 
neat : both had withal a calm and peaceful expression of 
countenance that bespoke the friendly regard of all who 
met them. On the unfortunate day to which I allude, 
that bane of the red man, that cursed and destroying 
affliction which the advance of the pale of civilization has 
imposed upon his race, a bottle of ivhishy, fell by some 
means into the possession of our friend. Like a true In- 
dian, he drank it off in a few minutes, notwithstanding the 
efforts of his wife to prevent it. The effect, as you may 
suppose, was sudden and fearful. His brain was crazed ; 
in a state of wild frenzy he threw off his clothes, except 
that portion of which an Indian never divests himself, and 
mounting his horse, rode furiously about the camp, stop- 
ping every few yards to challenge the soldiers, and whoop- 
ing his war-cry in the faces of all he met. His poor wife, 
with her child in arms, was following him, and striving 
to reclaim him. The outrage became so serious as to reach 
the ears of the commanding officer, Avho immediately sent 
for the chief, then also in the camp. To him the Colonel 
read a scathing lecture, and directed him to have this 
Indian removed, or he would be arrested by the guard and 
severely dealt with. Old Tustenuggee, who had seen some 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 143 

fifty summers, bowed his head without rej^ly. He walked 
rapidly to the part of the camp where he understood his 
townsman was. On coming upon him, the chief uttered in 
a low tone a few words Avhicli I, who had been brought 
to the spot by the tumult, did not understand ; but the 
effect upon the inebriate was magical. He was sobered 
at once. He hung his head, and suffered his wife to lead 
his horse to where her own was fastened, when together 
they left our camp. The chief and his party bivouacked 
that night at the spring, about a mile from our camp. 

In the course of the evening, the Indian who had been 
intoxicated became sober ; and smarting under the reproof 
he had received from his chief, arose from his own fire, 
which his wife had kindled, and walked over to that of his 
chief. The latter had not his family with him, and Avas 
alone, seated by his fire, with his pipe as his only com- 
panion and solace. The other seated himself quietly on 
the opposite side of the fire, and after a short pause, which 
is always the introduction to the discussion of a serious 
matter, complained of the indignity that had been offered 
to him. Whatever it was, I never learned ; but it was 
evidently what the chief had said to him at our camp, 
and which, as it humbled him, had also galled him 
bitterly. 

But few words, as we were told, passed between them, 
when the young man sprang across the fire, seized his 
cliief under the arms, and thrust his back and shoulders 
into the fire, where he held him until the latter fainted, 
when he cast him on the ground and moved away slowly 
to his own hearth-stone, where he directed his wife to 
saddle their horses. They then, without further ado, rode 
off, and have not been seen since, though I have under- 
stood they are sojourning in the neighborhood of Oka- 
humpky, about one hundred miles north of us. This 
narration I have spun out more in detail than I intended, 



144 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

for it was at first meant only as an introduction to tlie 
incident, illustrating, as I have above stated, the genuine, 
the unaffected filial affection of the Indian character. I 
now proceed : — 

The following morning the affair was reported to the 
Colonel, who at once requested the surgeon to ride out and 
see what could be done for the old man. On his return, 
the surgeon reporting that the old Chief was very seriously 
if not fatally burned, a light wagon with a bedsack was 
sent for him ; a wall-tent was pitched near the Hospital 
tent, and old Tustenuggee was comfortably established. 
The next day, his wife, a son about twenty, a daughter 
of eighteen, and a younger boy, came to camp. They had 
a tent given them by the side of the Chief's, and there 
abode. The meeting, I was told, was quiet, but exceed- 
ingly touching; and I certainly never saw, during several 
weeks that the Chief lay, at first in great danger, after- 
wards convalescing, more gentleness and more skilfulness 
and tender care than these children of the forest showed 
in moving and handling their father, while the doctor 
dressed his wounds. No one of them ever left him for an 
hour. Scarcely did they suffer a wish to be expressed 
before it was gratified. Indeed, I often thought the group 
of husband, wife, father, mother, and children, was a sub- 
ject worthy the pen of a Walter Scott, who alone could 
have given in their true colors a graphic presentation of 
the patient smile of the Chief, the anxious but ever watch- 
ful eye and ever ready hand of his wife, and the unsleep- 
ing assiduity of the children. I confess I never saw these 
traits more beautifully exemplified where Christianism, 
the religion taught by the Saviour of men, was accepted 
and its teachings practised. 

I have only further to say that the old man finally 
recovered, thanks to the care of the doctor and the 
untiring watchfulness of his family; and was after- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 145 

wards always known and referred to as the ^^ Burnt 
Chief:' 

I have written a long letter. It is late, and I will, 
therefore, bid you good night. 



Seminole Agency, July 15. 

My dear Brother: — You will perhaps feel some 
surprise on opening this letter to find me writing from 
the Indian Agency. I arrived here a few days ago at the 
head of my company, to the command of which I have 
just attained. To explain this, I must tell you, that, 
during the passed winter, the Government purchased from 
the Tallaliassee and Micasuky tribes of Indians their fine 
lands in the northern parts of East Florida ; and in addi- 
tion to valuable presents agreed to give them, in exchange, 
lands further south in the Peninsula, to which they were 
at once to remove. This would bring them upon the 
borders of the Seminole country. And it " was proposed 
by the Government to unite the three tribes under one 
chief, to be elected by tlie common voice when they came 
together ; the union thus formed to be styled the " Semi- 
nole Nation.'^ 

No objections were made to this proposition by the 
more northern tribes ; yet it was not favorably received 
by the Seminoles proper. These tribes are branches which 
sprang, at times more or less distant, from the Creeks, 
whose language, with little variation, they all speak. 
Indeed, the word Seminole, in the Creek tongue, as I 
learn, signifies "oidlmv;'' the individuals who in ages 
past formed the nucleus of the tribe being the reckless, 
dissolute, and abandoned fugitives from punishment, 
principally from the lower Creeks ; or they were the 
more restless or more adventurous, or the more indepen-* 
13 K 



146 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

dent, who Avould not brook the control or presence of a 
superior. 

A hundred years, probably, have passed, since with in- 
creased numbers they assumed the dignity and title of the 
" Seminole tribe/^ by a union of the different bands scat- 
tered over the peninsula, and the election of a common 
chief. It is said that an influential Indian named Payne 
was the person who succeeded in bringing the bands to- 
gether, and uniting them as one people. This chief, who 
was called King Payne, was the grandfather of the pres- 
ent chief, Micanopy, and lived to a very great age. He 
was succeeded by his son, and the latter by Micanopy, the 
grandson, who inherited on the death of his father the 
title of King, and became the ruler of his people. He is 
also styled the " Governor," and " Pond Governor." I 
know him personally quite well : he is of medium height, 
stout, with a large, stolid face, heavy eyes, and a general 
bearing and expression denoting lethargy. Though slow 
of speech, I have always found him communicative and 
good-tempered. He is rather too indolent to rule harshly ; 
and in fact he leaves official matters very much to the 
management of his Minister of State, as I may call him, 
a man who possesses great cunning and effrontery. This 
person, " bold in council, but cautious in the field," never 
distinguished himself by deeds of enterprise or courage, 
and has received the name of Hote-inathla, in English, 
^^Home-warrior '/^ he is known, however, more generally, 
if not exclusively, by the name of " Jumper.^^ 

I have remarked to you that the Seminoles, but partic- 
ularly their chief, Micanopy, did not at all relish the idea 
of being incorporated with the Tallahassee and Micasuky 
tribes. Together, the latter Avere more numerous than tlie 
former; and as they would ahnost to a man vote for one 
of tlieir own chiefs, Micanopy 's cliance for the office of 
principal cliief was by no means flattering. The northern 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 147 

tribes had already reached the Agency, located about ten 
miles south of Orange Lake ; and as the time appointed 
for the election drew nighj the excitement among the 
Seminoles grew so high, that the Agent, Colonel Gad 
Humphreys, forinerly an officer of rank in the United 
States Army, a})prehended serious trouble. He in conse- 
quence wrote to the commanding officer here, requesting 
that as strong a military force as could be spared might 
be sent to the Agency without delay, in order to prevent 
bloodshed. 

Colonel Brooke, fully appreciating the responsibility, 
and the danger, indeed, that enwrapped the Agent person- 
ally, as well as the disappointment which the failure of its 
purpose would occasion the Government, besides the 
necessity that might arise for a resort to sterner measures 
in the sequel, ordered two companies to be in readiness, 
with sixty rounds of ball cartridges and ten days' rations, 
to march at reveille on the morning after the receipt of 
the Agent's letter. The detail fell upon the senior captain, 
F. L. Dade, commanding Company C, and the junior 
lieutenant, temporarily commanding Company D of our 
battalion, the latter being no less a person than your 
humble servant. Those who were the subjects of the 
order were up till a late hour arranging every thing for 
the early movement. At the hour appointed, our little 
command moved out with a baggage train of four pack- 
mules, carrying the subsistence and an extra supply of 
ammunition. I will not dwell upon the incidents of our 
march. The distance to the Agency, following the old 
Indian trail, is something over one hundred miles, which 
our command accomplished in five days. One day was a 
counterpart of the preceding one : a march through woods 
of the long-leaf pine, occasionally intersected with savannas 
of tall grass, either wet or dry, according to the season, 
and now decidedly wet ; or obstructed by rivers. Three 



148 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

of the latter, besides small streams, we forded ; the watei 
being from two and a lialf to three and a half feet deep. 
These rivers were the Hillsborough and the Big and the 
•Little Onithlokouchee. At night we slept on our arms, 
having no tents. The only occurrence worthy of note is, 
that on arriving at Micanopy's town, which was quite 
near our route, — some fifteen miles below the Agency, — v»^e 
found it abandoned. A negro, who came out to meet us, 
informed the commanding officer that the inhabitants, on 
hearing of our approach, had taken to the swamp, and 
would fight if followed. He was told that our object was 
to prevent fighting, and that they had no cause to regard 
us other than as friends. On our arrival here, we found 
the principal chiefs of the northern Indians at the Agent's 
quarters, who, with tlie assistance of the Seminoles, had 
built a comfortable log-house with capacious piazzas. 

The following day our command was turned out with 
axes and ^'frows/^ an instrument for riving dap-hoards^ 
or rough shingles, and by sunset we were all comfortably 
established in open sheds. The men, as well as the officers, 
were at night under good sheds, and raised from the 
ground by very j^rimitive cots, formed by driving four 
forked stakes and laying thereon saplings, upon which 
were spread a layer of clap-boards, which, with a couple 
of blankets, made, in the open air, very comfortable 
couches. The day appointed for the election Avas still 
some ten days off. During this time I had frequent 
opportunities of seeing and conversing with the chief of 
the Micasukies, the candidate chosen by the Micasukies 
and Tallahassees to run against Micanopy, the Seminole 
candidate for the supreme chieftainship of the consolidated 
tribes. ^' Tuko-see-mathla,^' — meaning the "Ant-chief" in 
allusion, I suppose, to his industry in promoting the wel- 
fare of his people, — is a man of fifty years. He is known 
to the whites by the adopted name of John Hicks. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 149 

Tiiko-sco-mathla is one of nature's noblemen. He is 
nearly six feet two inches in height ; finely formed ; his 
figure combining strength witli gracefulness ; or, I might 
say, perfect ease in all his attitudes and gestures. The 
ex2)ression of his fine open countenance is habitually mild ; 
but as he grows earnest in conversation, you see arise 
within him that glow of fervid feeling warming into the 
determined energy which characterizes the man. 

Yesterday being Sunday, there was neither fatigue duty 
for the men, nor duty under arms ; and the Agent, Colonel 
Gad Humphreys, proposed to Captain Yancey and myself 
to make a visit to the Silver Spring, one of the great 
natural curiosities of Florida. This spring is about three 
miles from the Agency. Soon after breakfast we mounted 
our horses, and following an Indian trail or path, rode 
over a rolling and at times quite a hilly country, rather 
sparsely wooded with pine and post-oak. As we ap- 
proached the spring, we descended into flat savannahs, 
where no tree occurs by Avhich the eye may measure dis- 
tances, and where the waving of the tall grass appears in 
the distance like a vast bay of green water enclosed within 
a frame-work of pine forests. As you draw nigh to the 
water's edge, you come into richer land, from which start 
up huge trees ; the hickory, the loblolly-bay, and gum being 
prominent, while the towering magnolia grandiflora over- 
looks the beautiful scene. Our pathway to the spring 
led us to a little, retired, sandy nook, where we found a 
canoe, hauled up on shore and fastened with a hickory 
withe to a small sapling. Having dismounted and secured 
our horses, to launch the canoe was the work of a moment. 
Into this egg-shell, nine feet long and two feet wide at the 
middle, we entered in the following order : your servant, 
being slender and light, went first, and seated himself in 
the bow looking towards the stern; the Agent, who has a 
goodly presence, and counts two hundred on the scales, 



150 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

followed to the middle of the " dug-out/' as canoes of 
smaller size fashioned out of a cypress log are, in plain 
phrase, styled, and seated himself looking to the front; 
while Yancey, who is neither stout nor slender, took his 
place in the extreme after-part and assumed the paddle. 
You must understand that we were one and all seated on 
the bottom of the canoe, there being no thwarts in vessels 
of this size and description ; nor would it have been dis- 
creet to occupy them, had there been such. Yancey moved 
ns out upon this vast expanse of water by the gentlest 
motion of his oar. O ! how my heart swelled with 
astonishment as we neared the centre of this grand basin 
of limpid water. Think of a body of water coming from 
under a limestone bluff of rugged front, in volumes of 
almost incalculable bulk, and filling a deep rocky cup of 
oval form, whose surface was one hundred and fifty yards in 
length by one hundred in width, and so pellucid that look- 
ing into it is like looking into the air, and you may form 
some faint idea of the scene in which we became, as it 
were, actors as well as spectators. Not a cloud was in 
the heavens above, not a breath of air to stir the surface 
of the water. We had now reached the centre of this 
grand spring-basin. Yancey carefully withdrew his pad- 
dle from the water and laid it by his side ; the motion of 
the boat gradually ceased. We were stationary. " Now! " 
said Humphreys, " be quiet and hold your breath ! " In 
a moment all was still as death. The line of demarcation 
between the water and the atmosphere was invisible. 
Heavens! what an impression filled my mind at that 
moment ! Were not the canoe and its contents obviously 
suspended in mid-air, like Mahomet's coffin? In truth 
it seemed so to all of us, yet no one spoke. The trees all 
round the margin were doubled, and Ave seemed to be 
enclosed within a great magic frame. After passing some 
minutes, which were as ages, in contemplation of this 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 151 

almost fairy scenery, our regards were directed to the real 
though not less impressive objects in the deep water 
beneath us. I regret that I did not bring with me a line 
to ascertain the depth of tlie water on which we floated ; 
but it was known that the spring had been carefully sounded 
by competent persons hitherto, and had been found to be 
in the centre full forty feet deep. Here at this depth of 
water, the sights revealed to our admiring gaze were 
scarcely less wonderful than those witnessed above us and 
around. The smallest spur or branch of delicate moss 
growing on the sandy or rocky bottom was distinctly 
visible. The little fish which nibbled at this moss were 
to the eye as accurately delineated as if they had been at 
the surface. As we lay here, musing on all these unwonted 
sights. Colonel Humphreys quietly took his pen-knife 
from his pocket, and cut from the wristband of his shirt 
the small mother-of-pearl button which fastened it. He 
placed it, without speaking, upon the water, and we all 
with intense interest watched its gradual undulatory 
descent to the brown sand at the bottom ; there we saw 
plainly the bright-polished button ; and we also distin- 
guished clearly the four holes in the button, by means of 
which it is with thread and needle sewed upon the shirt. 
This, at the distance of forty feet under water, will no 
doubt appear to you incredible, but it is nevertheless a 
downright fad, ; and is, as you are doubtless aware, attri- 
butable to the high refractive power of the lime-stone 
Avater, as well as its limpidness. When I tell you this, 
you will readily comprehend how the dividing line between 
the air and the water is imperceptible when both are at 
rest. This is not one of the subterraneous rivers found in 
Florida, but is a true spring, formed by the percolation 
of surface Avater, which the heavy rains at certain seasons 
of the year pour upon the earth. 

It is consequently subject to variation in the volume of 



152 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

water it discharges ; yet not to any great extent. The 
channel by which it finds its way to the Ocklawaha River, 
and thence to the Saint John's, which empties its accumu- 
lated floods into the Atlantic, is from five-and-twenty to 
one hundred feet wide and twenty deep, and flows chiefly 
through a savannah country. After passing several hours 
at this magic theatre of nature, where the songs of various 
birds, sporting in the yellow jessamine and other flower- 
bearing vines which festoon the trees, add music to its other 
charms, we retraced our steps, pondering in our inward 
thoughts the marvellous works of the divine Maker of 
heaven and earth. 



Seminole Agency, August 20, 1826. 

My dear Father: — The election of Supreme Chief 
of the three tribes, united under the name of the Seminole 
Nation, took place at the appointed time ; and when the 
returns came in from the difterent bands, it was found to 
have resulted, as every one anticipated, in the choice of 
Tuko-see-mathla, by a decided majority. No disturbance 
had occuiTed anywhere ; Micanopy, governed by the 
advice of the Agent and the presence of the troops, having 
wisely yielded to circumstances he could not control. 
The inauguration of the chief was appointed to take place 
on the twentieth day after the announcement by the Agent 
of the result of the election; and ^^ runner s^^ were started 
in every direction with ^' the sticks J' That is to say ; each 
messenger was furnished with one or more bundles of little 
sticks about five inches long and the eighth of an inch in 
diameter, each bundle containing twenty in number ; day 
by day as the runner travelled he threw out one, and on 
reaching the band to which he was sent, he delivered the 
remainder to the head-man, who was required to be present 
with his people at the Agency, on the day the last of the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 153 

remaining sticks was thrown away by liimself. All went 
on quietly throughout tlie nation. 

In the mean time, as the grand day approached, a party 
of Micasukies, who were encamped with their chief about 
a mile from the Agency, commenced the erection of an 
amphitheatre, in which the ceremony was to take place. I 
was surprised to see how much mechanical skill they dis- 
played, and before the appointed time arrived they had 
completed a structure of no mean character. A circular 
arbor, fifty feet wide and two hundred feet in diameter on 
the outer circle, was well covered in with green boughs ; 
under this Avere erected seats formed of post-oak, rising 
one above another, in true amphitheatrical style, and capable 
of seating near two thousand warriors; for the Indian 
women do not appear in public on official occasions of this 
kind. The open area was, as you will comprehend, one 
hundred feet in diameter. At the point opposite the 
public entrance was a small open space, such as you see at 
the circus for the entrance of the actors. The twentieth 
day at length came, and the officers of our little command, 
in company with the Agent, mounted their horses and rode 
to the place appointed in an open plain half a mile distant 
from the Agency, where the inauguration was to take 
place at seven o'clock p. m. AVhen we arrived, the 
grounds were crowded ; three thousand souls were said to 
be present, though the men only were in the amphitheatre. 
We were met at the entrance by a Micasuky chief, who 
conducted the party to seats reserved for the Agent and 
his friends. Every seat was already filled, and the most 
perfect order and silence prevailed. In the centre of the 
open space blazed brightly the council-fire of light-wood 
hnotSy {i. e. the dried resinous knots of the long-leafed 
pine,) which threw its light fully over the whole assem- 
blage. Soon after we were seated, the ceremonies com- 
menced with the rattlesnake-dance, in honor of the chief 



154 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

elect, that animal being held sacred by the religious sect 
to which he belonged ; for you must know that every 
Indian holds some indigenous animal as tutelary, and will 
not under any circumstances destroy it. One hundred 
picked warriors, led by a Micasuky chief, all arrayed in 
their war-paint and their best apparel, entered the area 
in single file, each one holding the hand of the one in 
front of him; thus making an unbroken chain of men 
representing the animal held sacred by him who was to 
rule them. 

They came slowly, beating time with their feet to the 
song of their leader, and joining in the chorus at certain 
intervals. The last man held a large gourd with pebbles 
inside, which was intended to represent the rattles of the 
reptile, and which he shook aloft with furious gesticula- 
tions. They danced slowly round the fire until they had 
enveloped it with three of their coils. They then halted, 
but continued the song in slow measure, still marking the 
time with their feet, and reciting the deeds and the merit 
of their chief; as the Interpreter who accompanied the 
Agent informed us. This being finished, the leading chief 
uncoiled his followers, singing to a sprightly air, so 
moved out of the ring. There was something decidedly 
novel in this performance, but it was enacted with great 
dignity and grace, and was certainly highly interesting 
and impressive; it occupied some twenty minutes. Several 
other dances followed, in celebration of war, of the offer- 
ing of the first-fruits and so forth, until an hour had 
passed. Then came forth a herald waving a small flag on 
Avhich the stars and stripes were displayed : he advanced 
towards where we sat ; then turning towards the fire, called 
out in a loud voice, " Tuko-see-raathla! '^ three times, paus- 
ing some moments between his calls. 

A deep silence prevailed throughout the assemblage for 
what appeared to me a long time, when the chief stepped 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 155 

forth from the side opposite us with a deliberate pace and 
most impressive demeanor. His head and his feet were 
bare, and his only garment, save the flap always girt about 
the loins of a Seminole, whose tapering ends, ornamented 
with beads and various-colored embroidery, fall both front 
and rear to the knee, was a simple shirt of a dingy brown, 
whose folds did not reach the knee. He silently approached 
the Herald, and when he had reached him, slightly bent 
forward his head. The other, without speaking, drew 
from his belt a minute war-club, not seven inches long, to 
the head of which was attached a small lock of hair. 
This emblem he carefully fastened in the scalp-lock of the 
elect of the people, and in a few loud, emphatic words, 
proclaimed him Supreme Chief of the Seminole Nation. 
Having done this, he retired amidst the prolonged shouts 
of assent from two thousand warriors, 

Tidvo-see-mathla stood calmly, his eyes unraised, until 
the last note of applause had subsided. He then erected 
his fine figure to its full height, and looked steadily around 
upon his audience. Having apparently assured himself 
of the temper and feeling of his people of the several 
tribes now brought together for the first time, he com- 
menced his address in a low tone, and with a slight tremor 
in his voice. But as he proceeded and warmed wdtli his 
subject, his voice swelled to its full, manly volume, and 
his words flowed in an unbroken stream, which manifested 
the fixedness of his purpose and the settled conviction of 
his mind as to what was the policy he should adopt and 
fearlessly carry out, in order to establish harmony and 
promote the welfare of the nation. 

The interpreter stood by the Agent's side, and gave us a 
free translation of the address as it proceeded. And this 
he had little difficulty in doing; for the Seminole language 
or tongue being far from co})ious, it often required a dozen 
words to express an idea that might readily be conveyed 



156 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

in three of the English language. The purport of what 
the speaker said required some fifteen minutes or more to 
convey to his hearers, and can be given you in a few 
words. He said, they had elected him without any solici- 
tiition on his part ; that, as he accepted office, he would 
enforce the laws without favor to any portion of the people 
now embodied into one ; that, if they violated the laws of 
either of the respective tribes which in the whole were, in 
the abstract, the same, he would punish with an unflinch- 
ing rigor the individual so offending ; and, in conclusion, 
enjoined on all a kindly feeling to those who were newly 
associated with them. When he finished, it was ten 
o'clock. The meeting then was dissolved by himself in a 
kind of prayer or injunction to all to respect the law and 
live in peace. At the conclusion, I felt as if I had been 
listening to an enlightened and, indeed, to a great man. 
All that he said evinced so much good sense, and was 
conveyed in so eloquent and forcible a manner, that I 
could not but accord him that place in my estimation. 

We all rode back to camp at ten at night, much grati- 
fied by the evening's visit to the Indian camp, and the 
dignified conduct of the people, and in especial their noble 
chief. In the morning, Tuko-see-mathla came to the 
Agent's quarters dressed in the most sumptuous habili- 
ments you can imagine. His frock, or coat, was of the 
finest quality, and adorned with a quantity of silver orna- 
ments around his neck, arms, and wrists, with a gorgeous 
head-dress of colored shawls. His bearing was that of a 
chief indeed. He was attended by his lictors with their 
maces ; and while I was present, sent a party to inflict 
punishment upon some offenders who had a short time 
before committed a gross violation of the laws of the 
nation, or rather of those in force in the tribe to which 
they had before belonged. 

This is a long letter, so, my dear father, good night. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 157 

Seminole Agency, August 31, 1826. 

My dear Brother: — I know not when my letters 
written here will reach you. I write to fill up hours tliat 
would be otlierwise vacant and unspeakably tedious, and 
I give you narratives of events of the passing days when 
there is any incident that I think may interest you, or 
may amuse an idle hour as it does myself in writing it. 
The northern Indians, the new-comers, have not yet 
selected the lands on which they will settle themselves. 
The planting season being past, they will have no corn of 
their own raising this year ; they know not yet the hunt- 
ing-grounds where their fall and winter supplies of flesh 
are to be obtained ; nor are they acquainted with the 
regions where the coonta, or arrow-root, the chief sub- 
stitute for corn or farinaceous food, is to be sought. Con- 
sequently the whole of the Micasuky and Tallahassee 
tribes have to be furnished with rations of beef and flour 
by the Government. This requires many bullocks to be 
slain weekly ; consequently, droves are brought, at the 
expense of the Government, from Georgia, and turned 
loose on the savannahs around Alachua, some ten miles off. 

From these wild ranges the cattle are driven here by 
the Indians themselves in numbers as required, and con- 
fined within a great pen, with a rough fence some seven or 
eight feet high. Thrice a week, a party of the red men, 
sent by the chief, come to the Agency to receive the rations 
of beef and corn furnished them by order of the Govern- 
ment, as I have stated. It would be troublesome, if not 
very difficult, to drive a few head of these half wild cattle 
to the Indian camp, and it has been thought advisable 
to slaughter them here; consequently, the Indians bring 
their rifles with them. Now the Agent, I nuist tell you, 
is a crack shot with the rifle, and delights in the practice. 
He is, therefore, frequently present on these occasions; 
11 



158 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

and exhibits his skill to his red children, by sending his 
bullet to the exact spot above the curl in the forehead of 
the victim selected for the shambles. A few days since, I 
went out Avith others to see the Indians shoot. A fine 
steer was the first selected ; the Indians, however, fired 
three or four shots into him before he was laid low. 
When the next one doomed to bite the dust was desig- 
nated, the Agent handed his rifle to one of our officers, 
Captain Jeremiah Yancey, saying, — 

^' Show these fellows that we can beat them with the 
rifle.'' 

This officer mounted over the fence into the pen, where 
the cattle roamed rather at large, and fired his shot. The 
bullet took effiict in his front, but was not accurately 
aimed, striking the animal under the eye, and greatly 
enraging him without bringing him to the ground. 

A little incident then occurred, which exhibited, in the 
sequel, the quickness of perception of the Indian and his 
profound knowledge of the physical working of the organs 
through which the passions of his fellow-man are mani- 
fested. After the last shot I have mentioned had been 
fired, Colonel Humphreys reloaded his rifle, and presented 
it to me, inviting me to try my luck. I could not decline 
the proffiir, and having had, since I joined the army, some 
]u-actice with the rifle, I trusted to the steadiness of my 
hand for success in the attempt to slay the wounded beast. 
I had to advance to nearly the central part of the enclo- 
sure before I could catch the eye of my intended victim 
to draw his attention towards myself, in order that I 
might have a full view of his forehead. I had no sooner 
attracted his attention, however, than he lowered his head 
and charged right at me. I then felt that ray only safety 
lay in my coolness and deliberation. I accordingly raised 
my rifle slowly, and as the curl in the forehead came upon 
the front sight of my gun I pulled trigger. The furious 



\ 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 159 

animal fell, with all his four feet drawn close under his 
body, at the report of the gun. He Avas dead. As I looked 
at the lifeless mass before me, a shout from the party at the 
fence caused me to raise my eyes. To my horror I saw 
another steer break from the retiring mass that had re- 
treated at the crack of my rifle, and with head down 
charging right upon me. I had a good distance (to me it 
seemed a long one) to run to reach the fence. I did, how- 
ever, reach It ; and as I put my foot upon a lower rail, a 
strapping, big Indian, who had sprung to the top of the 
fence, caught me by the arm, and lifted me into his arms 
as if I had been an infant, just as the Infuriated beast 
struck his horns against the fence. As the Indian drew 
me to himself, he clapped his hand upon my heart, and 
for a moment held it there ; he then turned to the Agent, 
and said In his own language, — 

^'HIs heart is quiet: he was not afraid." 

I was not conscious at the moment that I had done 
anything worthy of commendation ; though, when one of 
our party asked me why I did not throw away my gun, 
I discovered, as I scornfully retorted, that, in fact, the 
spectators -were more alarmed for my safety than I had 
been myself. I have daily further opportunity for study- 
ing the Indian character. I see many traits In these Indians 
that do not belono* to what we had been tau^-ht to regard 
as those of the savage — unrighteous and unmerciful. 

September 15. — Since the preceding lines were written, 
we have been lying here idle ; the Agent, who had full 
authority in the matter, not deeming it prudent to author- 
ize the departure of the troops before he felt assured that 
all feeling on the part of Micanopy and his followers had 
subsided, and that Hicks' people were settling down on 
the better portions of land around him, and preparing to 
build their huts or houses. Nothing worthy of note has 
occurred that could tempt even idleness to resort to inditing 



160 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

letters in self-defence; but, thank fortune, confidence is now 
established, and we march to-morrow for Hillsborough. 
For the present, adieu. 



Hillsborough Bay, September 25, 

We reached the headquarters of the regiment a few days 
since, coming by easy marches and by a different route 
from that by which we proceeded to the Agency. There 
being no vessel in port, I will add a P. 8. to this letter, to 
give you one or two incidents that occurred on the march 
down. On the third day we reached " PelahUkaha/' — in 
English, " Many Ponds.'' In the midst of these ponds, 
on a ridge of high ^' shell-hummock '^ land — owcc, when old 
ocean's waves rolled over it — a vast bed of small shell-fish 
or mollusks which for centuries had probably been accu- 
mulating, there now flourishes one of the most prosperous 
negro towns in the Indian territory. We found tliese 
negroes in possession of large fields of the finest land, pro- 
ducing large crops of corn, beans, melons, pumpkins, and 
other esculent vegetables. They are chiefly runaway 
slaves from Georgia, who have put themselves under the 
protection of Micanopy, or some other chief, whom they 
call master ; and to whom, for this consideration, they 
render a tribute of one-third of the produce of the land, 
and one-third of the horses, cattle, and fowls they may 
raise. Otherwise they are free to go and come at pleasure, 
and in some cases are elevated to the position of equality 
with their masters. -, I saw, while riding along the borders 
of the ponds, fine rice growing ; and in the village large 
corn-cribs well filled, while the houses were larger and 
more comfortable than those of the Indians themselves. 
The three principal men bear the distinguished names of 
July, August, and Abram. We found these men to be 
shrewd, intelligent fellows, and to the highest degree obse- 
quious. Here we made our bivouaG. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 161 

The next morning our guide conducted the command 
by an old trail in a southwest direction to a small Semi- 
nole settlement on the Wee-thlocko-chee River — (this 
word is a compound of three words^ viz., Little-broad- 
river.) Here again we made our bivouac. On the follow- 
ing morning, we prepared for the crossing. The river is 
about one hundred and fifty yards wide at this place, and 
is deep and rapid. The sub-chief residing here, and two 
of his men, were engaged with a good canoe to carry over 
the men and their baggage, and to swim the horses and 
mules. 

The muleteers, together Avith a guard, Avere first sent 
over to receive and secure the mules as they arrived. 
The sub-chief now took the paddle to propel and steer 
the boat, while his two assistants took each a mule by 
the halter, and seated near the bow of the boat, held one 
on either side : the chief put his boat in motion, and the 
next moment the animals were swimming rapidly along- 
side. This operation had been successfully repeated four 
or five times, when a fine large mule, conspicuous in the 
gang, and familiarly known to all the men as "Old Rock," 
was suddenly taken with a fit of obstinacy, or a fit of cramp, 
or a fit of perversity of temper to which nuiles are some- 
times addicted — I never knew which; but whatever may 
have been the motive or the dire controllinoj evil, " Old 
Rock" certainly stopped short in mid-river, and held back 
Avith a determined might that effectually checked the head- 
way of the canoe, in spite of all the exertions of tlie chief 
to force it on. A beautiful white mule called Fannv, on 
the other side of the canoe, becoming impatient of restraint, 
reared and plunged in the water so fearfully as to endanger 
all on board, until the chief told the man avIio held her to 
let her go. He did so, and the mule swam to the land- 
ing and quietly Avalked up to her driver. In the mean 
time there was a severe contest between Old Rock and 
14 - L 



162 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

the Indian who held him by the halter. The canoe was 
absolutely stationary ; the best endeavors of the chief 
being barely sufficient by keeping the bow of his boat up- 
stream, in order to prevent its drifting below the landing. 

The Indian Avho had hold of the mule\s head was fast 
becoming exhausted by the efforts of the animal to draw 
his head under water. At this critical point of time, a 
large Indian, finely dressed, w^ho was standing near me 
on the bank, plunged into the river, " accoutred as he 
was,^^ and swam like an otter to the scene of action. Here 
he caught the mule by the tail with both hands, keeping 
his own position by '^ treading water/' as swimmers say ; 
and with the strength of a strong man he twisted and 
wrung the tail of the most obstinate or the most to be 
compassionated of mules, till one would have thought the 
infliction would have moved the devil himself, had his 
tail been so handled. But it was " no goP Old Rock 
never flinched. By this time the Indian at the head Avas 
fast giving way ; the head of the brute had been gradually 
subsiding beneath the water ; and now his nose was en- 
tirely submerged, although the man still held on. One 
more twist of the tail, and the man at the head called out 
as he released his grasp, ^^Eleegis-ehez !'' "He is dead.'' 
The next moment, the stark, stiff carcass of poor Old Rock 
was seen floating down the river, borne away for ever 
upon tliat rapid current. 

It was, in sober truth, a most strange affair; no one 
could account for it. The Indians themselves, who are 
quick and sagacious in the management of animals, did 
not attempt a solution of the mysterious occurrence ; but 
when the commanding officer, through the negro inter- 
preter, asked the chief what was tlie cause of the mule 
holding back, he shook his head, and replied with a 
doubting air, '^Stentose; holyicagus chez:" "I know not; 
it i.i a l)ad thing;" evidently attaching to the occurrence, in 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 163 

liis OAvn miiid^ the idea of supernatural agency. I do not 
think there was in the command a man who did not feel 
sobered and full of regret at the loss of Old Rock, besides 
being sorely puzzled to account for it. 

We got everything across without further accident, and 
marched to the Indian town of " Choco-chatee/^ " Ecd 
House/' {choko, house ; Ghatee, red,) whose chief, ^^Ilcd- 
berta-chez/' "Little AlUgatoi'/' received us cordially. He 
is small and slight in stature, but has an intelligent face, 
and an expression of great mildness, though said to be 
of a determined character. Nothing more of interest 
occurred until we reached headquarters. Adieu. 



Hillsborough Bay, , 

My dear Brother : — We are in the month of Octo- 
ber, and notwithstanding all the alarms that have tortured 
the minds of the over-anxious and the prognostications of 
the over-wise, the command, both here and detached, has 
enjoyed uninterrupted health ; and no troops have ever 
fared better as regards the Subsistence Department. Be- 
sides the fine fish and oysters which I have already dilated 
upon, the '^ company gardens'' have supplied the com- 
})anies with abundance of green vegetables. The Indians 
also bring us a good deal of game at very moderate prices ; 
for example, twenty-five cents for a wild turkey or a ham 
of venison. The brown or whooping crane is also brought 
in by the Indian hunters, and is an excellent bird. With 
a larger and fuller body than the wild goose, I think it 
is superior in flavor, and I place it next to the turkey on 
the bill of fare. 

While on this subject, I must also name the gopher. 
This is a tortoise of about fifteen inches in length by twelve 
in breadth, and considered in all the extreme Southern 
States, where it is found, a decided delicacy for the table. 



164 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

For a soup or a stew, I have found it scarcely inferior to 
the green turtle, of which more anon. The gopher, which 
is abundant in the pine woods of Florida, prefers the sandy 
soil, into which it burrows ; and being a nocturnal animal 
in a great measure, passes the day chiefly in its under- 
ground domicil. It possesses wonderful strength, as I 
have seen a large man, say of one hundred and fifty 
pounds weight, step upon the back of one on the floor, 
and the creature move oif without apparent exertion. 
They are readily sold by the Indians at twenty -five cents 
a brace. By the by, an amusing incident concerning 
gophers transpired not long since. A certain officer 
of the Regiment, who is something of an epicure, had a 
^^ gopher crawl, ^ that i^, a small space in his back yard 
picketed in (for I must tell you that officers as well as 
the enlisted soldiers are now in comfortable log quarters) 
for fattening these animals. 

But to proceed with the slory: — a long-legged, lathy 
negro boy of some fourteen years, belonging to one of the 
Thlonoto-sasa Indians, called at this officer's quarters and 
offered for sale a brace of gophers. He received his 
quarter of a dollar; and Andrew, the cook, a negro slave, 
was ordered to put them in the crawl, which at the time 
happened to be empty. He was also charged to feed them 
regularly with dried beans and other articles of vegetable 
diet. The next day the boy, John, brought another pair 
of gophers to the same officer, and received his quarter. 
The next day it was the same, and the next, and the next. 
The officer was delighted with his good fortune, and at 
the end of some ten days, not having kept the count 
strictly, he told Andrew to count the gophers, and let 
him know how many were in the crawl. Andrew did go 
to the crawl, in one corner of which a (quantity of brush 
had been thrown, under whic^h these nocturnal animals 
might retire during the day ; and he did shake up the 



BY GEOEGE A. McCALL. 165 

brush and toss it about very thoroughly, but he saw never 
a gopher but the two he had just put in. 

Andrew, naturally enough, was hrst amazed, then per- 
plexed, and finally confounded at the discovery he had 
made ; for he could be sworn he had daily put a brace 
into the crawl for many days in succession ; and so he pro- 
tested to his master to whom he hastened with the news. 

His master was no less surprised than Andrew ; and in 
addition he was first disappointed, then vexed, and finally 
enraged at the cheat he began to suspect had been played 
upon him. He at once sent out his Orderly to look for 
Master John, who was soon brought before him, looking 
as pale as a negro can look. Under the fear of being well 
flogged if he did not confcvss, John let out the truth ; which 
of course Avas, that he had leaped the paling every night 
and captured the gophers he had sold during the day 
before. The joke took. John was let off without flog- 
ging, but with the '^ nomme de guerre^' of "Gojjher John^^ 
tacked to him for life. 

The weather at this season is perfectly delicious — I 
can't call it anything else. The rainy season is past. 
The temperature during the day is jast such as you would 
desire for exercise, while after night a little light-wood 
fire is pleasant as you sit by it and recount the incidents — 
and in a soldier's life there are always some — of the past 
day. 

Tlie Colonel has in contemplation a grand hunting, 
fishing, and exploring expedition up the Gulf coast as far 
as Anclote Keys. He has hinted it to me already, for I 
have recently had the honor to be appointed his Adjutant, 
and of course I am much with him. I shall be " au com- 
ble de mes desirs " if he invites me, for he is going to a 
region that abounds in game of all kinds. 

This letter has not been written at one sittins;. Some 
time has passed since I began it. I have written it at odd 



166 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

moments, having been interrupted half a dozen times and 
obliged to lay it aside ; for an Adjutant, as a soldier says, 
is ahvays on duty, and is liable to be called upon for some- 
thing requiring immediate attention forty times a day. I 
must lay aside my pen again. 

November 12. 

The transport with supplies has not appeared yet, 
therefore no mail in, none out. I will therefore add a 
few lines to the foregoing. 

I want to tell you of a little personal chance I had to 
come home with a broken neck, a few days since ; but as 
the neck was not broken, nor any other damage sustained 
by the writer, I trust you will pardon the egotism that 
must be employed in narrating the singular adventure I 
met with. A few days since a party of four of us rode 
out to give the hounds a " start,^^ and jDcrhaps kill a deer. 
There were Surgeon De Camp, Captain Isaac Clark, and 
Mr. Marsh, the Sub-Indian Agent of the Seminoles, who 
has his Agency a short distance from our Camp, Barracks, 
or Fort, whichever it may please the authorities to call this 
military station. 

About three o'clock p. M. we directed our course up 
the Hillsborough River, but had not proceeded more than 
two or three miles through the open pine woods, when, 
on a sudden, up sprang a large buck and three does. It 
had happened that a few days before this. Captain Clark 
and myself had tried the speed of our horses for half a 
mile, for a dozen of wine. The judges declared it a drawn 
race. The Captain declined to run it over, though he 
still talked a good deal of the speed and running qualities 
of his horse. Therefore when the deer bounced up, I 
called out to him, " Now, Captain, is the time to try the 
speed of your horse;" and with that I drove the spurs 
into my cliarger (not my charmer, the fleet Kate) and 
dashed headlong at the deer. The old buck, heavy with 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 167 

horns, was already falling to the rear of his mates. I rode 
on his right, and was fast closing up on him, with the 
intention of giving him a double shot as I passed at the 
distance of twenty yards on his right. In this position we 
had run four or five hundred yards, my whole attention 
riveted upon the noble buck, for there were but few large 
pine-trees in my course, when on a sudden, to my no small 
dismay, I perceived the bare trunk of an enormous pine, 
long since felled by the storm and now blackened by fire, 
lying directly across my unlucky course, and so near that it 
was impossible to stop my horse, or even to attempt to 
turn him to the right or left. The upper portion of the 
tree was immediately in front of me, the trunk raised by 
a shattered branch to the height of some three feet from 
the ground ; a large limb springing from it about ten feet 
on my right, shot upwards until directly before me it left 
an opening between itself and the main stem of four or 
five feet. If ever, my dear brother, you unexpectedly 
found yourself in a similar predicament, you will recollect 
how like the lightning's flash the mind perceives, reflects, 
and decides. So was it with me at that moment. I 
saw my danger at a glance, and also that my only chance 
was to make a bold leap. Yes — I determined, at all 
hazards, to leap my horse through the opening, between 
the trunk of the tree and the limb above. I accordingly 
laid my head low prepared for the leap, and gave him the 
spar and the rein. At the instant when he should have 
taken the leap and which I expected, the rascal whirled 
to the right as quick as thought, or if anything, a Utile 
quicker ; be that, however, as it may, he in reality sprung 
completely from under me, so that if my left spur had not 
caught upon and into his neck a little below the mane, 
and both my hands, I know not how, grasjied his mane, 
(without lettinr/ gortuf gun, mind ye) I should undoubtedly 
have been laid upon my back on the ground. As it was, 



168 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

my dear friend, I held on, and I retained my hold upon the 
mane, while the horse, as he ran, at every leap struck my 
rio'ht foot with his forefeet as I huno^ under his neck. I 
do not mean that he struck my foot with his shoes, but 
with the upper part of his hoof, as he raised his feet in 
running. In this way he ran with me one hundred or 
more yards; and what do you think passed through ni} 
mind during that short interval? I will tell you truly: 
I said to myself, " I must get back into the saddle ! for if I 
do not, his hind heels will assuredly spoil the beauty of 
my face the instant I touch the ground.^' 

I am, as you know, of light weight, but of unusual 
strength of arm. Gathering my whole soul into the effort, 
I swung myself up upon the horse's neck in front of the 
saddle ; I still held the reins and my gun, and by placing 
both hands on his neck in front of me, I had in an instant 
thrust myself back into the saddle ; one pull then upon 
the reins sufficed to bring up my horse '' all standinc/,^^ as 
the jockeys say. At this time Captain Clark came along- 
side ; he was as pale as death. " I thought you were 
gone,'' was all he faintly said. We turned our horses, 
without another word, and spurred after the dogs, who 
were some distance ahead, in full cry. The deer had 
turned out from the lowlands bordering the river, and 
were running freely on the pine ridge at the distance of a 
mile, their course being up the river. They were running 
on the arc of a circle. We decided to take the "chord " 
of the arc, though the riding was not so fair. The deer 
ran about four miles before they turned into the river 
again. As we pushed on, (we had seen nothing of the 
other gentlemen,) the dogs were heard coming right down 
upon us. We stopped. Very soon the buck alone was 
seen coming; down to the river in advance of the dog's. 
lie had evidently been distanced by the does, which had 
escaped in some other direction, while he had been closely 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 169 

followed by the dogs. I s^iiirred on to meet him, as Clark 
did not care to take the shot, and as he passed me at long 
shot, I gave him both barrels. He was palpably hit ; but 
in a hundred yards he reached the dense live-oak hum- 
muck which margined the river, where no horse could 
enter, owning to the thick underbrush and impenetrable 
net-work of vines. The dogs followed close at hand, and 
I dismounted and followed them on foot. With much 
exertion, I made my Avay to the river-bank. Deer and 
dogs had both gone over ; the bank was of steep rocks, 
the water deep, the sun just disappearing below the hori- 
zon, and I was compelled, much to my disappointment, to 
give up the chase. When I returned to my horse, I found 
the three gentlemen assembled and waiting for me. It 
was getting dark, and we turned our horses' heads towards 
home. The dogs did not come home till about ten o'clock 
the next morning, wdien tlieir greatly distended bellies 
jiroved that they had caught the deer and fairly eaten him 
up. Good night. — The transport was reported to be some 
miles below at close of day. She will take our letters, 
and you will not hear from me again for six weeks. 



Hillsborough Bay, December i, 1827. 

My dear Brother : — Here we have the most charm- 
ing weather imaginable ; I should say, unparalleled in any 
part of our country, if, indeed, it is surpassed in any part 
of the world. Since the third day of October not a drop 
of rain has fallen, and not twice in a month has a cloud 
as big as a blanket appeared in the bright canopy above 
us. The temperature at this time is just what you would 
choose, if the choice were given you. It is a paradise for 
tliose who love to live in the open air. I have had a 
dream of this joyous life during a fortnight just past. I 
can hardly call it reality, so completely have I been en- 
15 



170 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

tranced amidst the novel scenes and exciting pleasures 
through which I have passed. 1 hinted to you in my last 
that I had been led to expect that I might accompany the 
Colonel on an exploring expedition up along the coast to 
the Anclote Keys, some thirty or forty miles north of 
the entrance to this Bay, and from here sixty or seventy 
miles. Within a day or two of the date of my letter, he 
announced to me the agreeable intelligence that he would 
set out at once, and that he would take his adjutant, and 
no other officer, with him. All arrangements, I now 
learned, had been already made; and, in fact, the next 
morning we set sail u\ his beautiful, schooner-rigged, cop- 
pered and copper-fastened, double-bank, twelve-oared boat, 
furnished with a full set of sails, and a picked crew of 
twelve men, under command of big Lambert, the cock- 
swain. A beautiful canoe was attached to the stern as a 
tender or launch. We were accompanied by the six-oared 
gig and crew with the seine. We had a delightful run 
down the Bay under sail, with a fair wind ; and reached 
Millet Key at the entrance of the Bay, a distance of 
thirty miles, in five hours. We landed in a quiet cove on 
the interior or land side of the island. Tents were soon 
pitched upon a clean sward, and everything made com- 
fortable ; the Colonel's two capital negro servants, waiter 
and cook, made arrangements for preparing dinner, to 
which the Colonel pro})Osed to furnish the fish, while I 
was to look after the venison. As the Colonel with his 
lines, &c. stepped into the gig with Lambert and two oars- 
men, I shouldered my rifle and made my way towards the 
centre of the island, which is a])Out seven miles in length 
and from one to three wide. I had not gone a quarter of 
a mile from our camp, nor been absent more than twenty 
minutes, before I killed a deer. I saw several, and I doubt 
not, without chiiming much skill as a hunter, I might 
have bagged otlicrs, had I followed up my good luck. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 171 

This pleasure, liowever, I liad the firmness to forego ; the 
wants of our little party of four-and-twenty men having 
been already provided for, for the day, by the performance 
of my trusty rifle. I determined therefore to return to 
camp for a couple of men to bring in the venison. With 
this view I made my way through the brushwood to the 
landward beach upon which our camp lay, having pre- 
viously marked in my mind, by noting carefully tha 
shapes and other peculiarities of neighboring trees, the 
exact locality in which my deer would be found. As I 
debouched from the thicket, my eye caught sight of the 
grotesque figure but splendid plumage of a flamingo, on 
the beach not over fifty yards from where I stood. It was 
the first bird of the species that I had ever seen in the 
flesh, although I had from childhood been familiar with 
the stuffed specimens of the museums. As the bird had 
not yet perceived me, I stood for several minutes to observe 
his manners. He was standing in the water knee-deep, 
and was with his great clumsy beak cleansing and arrang- 
ing the penfeathers on the side of his body, just under 
the right wing. The latter was extended, and partially 
revealed to me the deep scarlet of the Aving coverts, and 
the glossy black of the quill feathers. The Avhitish spot 
under the wing, which was at this moment disclosed, 
offered a distinct target that was not to be declined ] my 
rifle was raised, and as the crack rung along the shore, the 
flamingo fell without a struggle, dead, upon the water. 
This was a large male in perfect plumage, whose brilliant 
hues my eyes dwelt upon in an ecstasy of delight and 
admiration, because, I suppose, it was the first that it fell 
to my lot to capture. Now I can exclaim, "What a child 
is man in his appreciation of novelty!'' Before we re- 
turned from this expedition, I had killed three others, and 
their possession scarcely caused me a feeble emotion. True ; 
but one only of the last was to compare with this; the 



172 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

others were young birds, that is, birds of the year, and 
their plumage was of a pale-grayish rose-color. On reach- 
ing camp with my trophy, I called to my assistance one 
of the men, a handy fellow, who in a little while made a 
very good '^skin" of the flamingo. 

Having read in Horace, while at the Latin school before 
I went to West Point, that a great delicacy at table was, 
in the estimation of the old Romans, a dish of flamingo 
tongues, I availed myself of the opportunity that now 
offered of testing the refined taste of that luxurious and 
extravagant people. So I carefully extracted the coveted 
member by making with my hunting-knife a slit in the 
forepart of the neck just below the root of the bill ; the 
lower mandible of which, wherein the tongue lies, being 
four inches long, an inch deep, and about the same in 
width; and drawing back the tongue into this aperture, I 
dissected it with its root entire from the surrounding parts, 
secundum artem. As I then held it in my hand, it appeared 
to me more than half the size of a sheep's tongue. This 
I gave to the cook, with particular directions as to how it 
should be boiled and served at dinner. 

All this having been accom])lished, I took with me two 
men, and set out after my deer. We soon reached the 
spot ; one of the men with a hatchet cut a suitable pole on 
which to sling the animal, when the four legs, with the 
head, having been tied together, and Ave Avere in five 
minutes' time on our return with the venison in fine case. 
In coming down the beach, when at a hundred and fifty 
yards from camp, I discovered a shoal of redfish lazily 
floating about in the shallow Avater not fifty feet from 
shore. They AA^ere from tAventy to thirty in number, and 
did not pay the least attention to us as Ave passed. 

When Ave arrived at our camp, finding that the Colonel 
had not returned, I got out my fishing-lines, and having 
fastened to the hooks of tAvo lines, upon their shanks each, 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 173 

a white strip of the skin of salted pork, leaving the barbed 
point of the hook alone bare, I hurried with one of my 
men to the place where I had seen the fish. We found 
them in the same listless mood, to all a])pearances, in which 
we had left them. In another minute we had coiled our 
lines in the left hand, and taking in the right hand the leaded 
end to which the large hook was attached, we threw our 
lines at the same instant into the midst of the "shoal." 
In a moment, two fine fish were hooked and drawn in by 
main force, the redfish not often attempting to carry off the 
line, like the salmon and some other fish. Although, when 
these two were secured, the others darted off into deeper 
water, they soon came back, and two more were as readily 
hooked and brought on shore. They Avere really as tame 
as barndoor fowls, and in half an hour we had secured 
one dozen fish of from ten to twenty pounds w^eight. 
Again I returned to camp, satisfied that we had obtained 
an ample supply for the larder; and sent two men in the 
canoe to bring in the fish. In a short time the Colonel 
returned, equally successful Avith the hook and line, besides 
several flounders and sole that Lambert had speared. The 
day Avas Avell advanced Avhen the Colonel and I sat down 
to a sumptuous dinner, as did likcAvise the different messes 
of our little command. After having eaten heartily of 
fish and of venison, there came, as a bonne bouche, the fla- 
mingoes tongue. We found it perfectly tender and of 
delicate flavor, but so exceedingly oily and rich that but 
little could be taken of a morceau otherwise so surprisingly 
dainty. Night closed in upon the finale of our repast, and 
for another hour I sat in my camp-chair by a cheering 
fire, listening to the Colonel's amusing account of some 
uoble fish he had succeeded, Avith Lambert's assistance, in 
bringing safely on board. At length, Avhen the subject 
had been fairly exhausted, the Colonel ordered, as a night- 
15* 



174 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

cap, a glass of hot " Mountain-dew punch/' after which 
we retired to our tents for the night. J 

And here I will bid you also to court pleasant dreams " 
and slumbers light. 



Fort Brooke, Hillsborough Bay, December, 1828. 

My dear Brother : — The following morning, after an 
early breakfast, the tents were struck, the baggage packed 
and stowed away on board ; the crews were in their seats 
with oars in hand, and as soon as the Colonel and his 
Adjutant were seated in the stern-sheets, big Lambert 
gave the word, " Let fall ;" there w^as a slight plash upon 
the water as the oars of the two boats descended, there was 
one strong pull, and we shot forth into deep water. 

I must now inform you that there is an inland passage 
with good boat-channel from the mouth of Espiritu Santo 
Bay to the head of the Anclote Keys, which was our point 
of destination. There are six of these keys, long and nar- 
row, stretching from Millet Key northward, with slight 
or narrow openings; the space between them and the main 
being from one to two miles. Through this inland pas- 
sage lay our course, guided by our pilot ^^ Maximo.'' The 
latter is a Spaniard, from the fisheries at Charlotte Harbor, 
whom the Colonel lias had for some time in his employ, 
charged with the care and management of his "turtle 
crawl." The morning was lovely, — no other word that I 
can command ex])resses the impression made upon my 
outward senses by that bright tranquil morning. But 
though the morning was beautiful, aye lovely, there was 
not air enough in motion to spare the exercise of thews 
and sinews ; and although I could hear old Lambert, 
seated behind the Colonel and myself, whisper almost in 
the Colonel's ear, whose nautical predilections he well 
understood, "Blow! San Antonio, blow!" yet the saint, 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 175 

for the present, turned a deaf ear to our old sea-dog; and 
in consequence^ some ten miles had to be accomplished 
with the oars alone. At length, however, the saint re- 
lented ; we had a smart breeze, and in a "jfffey^^ all sail 
w^as set, and we skimmed over the waves of the last five 
miles in the most delectable state of mind of all parties 
present. We anchored (in a sweet little cove) at the mouth 
of a fresh-water creek, where we were sufficiently sheltered 
by a projecting point; and in due time were as comfort- 
ably established as we had been on the day before. We 
Avere, in fact, in a tolerably secure harbor for such small 
fry of sea-going craft as pirates on this coast do affect. 
Now, piracies were known to have been committed along 
this coast; at least report so affirmed. And one object, if 
not the most important, of our expedition, as the Colonel 
had told me, was to look into this matter; and the men 
had come fully armed. These reports of pirates infesting 
the waters along this coast, and harboring on these islands, 
came through the Spanish fishermen established at Char- 
lotte Harbor, who occasionally visited the military post 
with fruit, dried pompino, a most delicious fish found in 
that bay, and other articles for sale. And Maximo, who 
had learned from some of his people that this little harbor 
Avas suspected to be one of the resorts of gentry of the 
stamp referred to, had brought the Colonel here to see for 
himself, and then take such measures as he might deem 
necessary and requisite to root out the horde. 

As soon, therefore, as we were established in our camp, 
the Colonel directed me to take half a dozen men and 
make a detour around our position, and to examine care- 
fully for any evidence discernible of the presence of men, 
whether recently or at a more remote period, in the vicin- 
ity. I ordered a corporal and six men to turn out under 
arms, and shouldering my rifle moved out, with Maximo 
at their head. As soon as we had advanced from the 



176 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

rushes and marsh-plants in the pine woods, I ordered the 
men into line, and with widely extended front we swept 
the woods in search of ''sign/' — as any evidence of the 
presence now or previously of wild beast or man, is in 
hunter's phrase termed. 

Before we had proceeded far, Maximo, who was at my 
side, called my attention to two pine trees which showed 
the blackened marks of fire from the root several feet 
upwards. We turned towards them, and on reaching the 
spot, discovered a spring which poured its tribute into 
the creek beyond. Near this were the remains of a camp- 
fire, around which we picked up the remnants of several 
little articles once the property of white men, evidently 
not of Indians. Among these was a three-pound iron 
shot, such as is fired from a swivel-gun sometimes used 
on board of smaller vessels ; there were also the broken 
pieces of a looking-glass and its stand, in which was a 
drawer bound in red paper with border printed in gold ; 
such as you may have seen in German toy-shops in your 
city. As our search progressed, we approached the burned 
trees, some ten paces oif ; here we discovered pieces of new 
or little worn hemp rope, about half-inch size, burned at 
the ends. 

Around one of the trees, which were about a foot in 
diameter, a portion of this rope had been tied at the 
height of four to five feet from the ground, and it still 
remained knotted round the tree, though the ends were 
burned ofP. Near the other tree were found similar pieces 
of rope, also partially burned. 

" There has been bad work here ! " uttered Maximo, in 
a slow and serious tone. 

" Can it be possible that men have been burned to 
death, or even put to torture?" I asked. 

" It looks very ugly," replied the man in the same 
tone ; and after a pause he continued, " but let us look 
further." 



BY GEORGE A. 3IcCALL. 177 

We did resume the search ; and my men having been 
called in by my signal, every foot of ground for a long 
distance around Avas carefully examined, but without a 
trace of anything being detected that could throw light 
upon the matter. It was clear, however, that if persons 
had been burned here, either to death, or to any degree, 
their bodies had been carried away. As to the time at 
which this mysterious act had taken place, we were also in 
great doubt. There had been rain since the occurrence — 
that was plain enough ; but nothing more satisfactory 
could be arrived at. In a dry atmosphere like that of 
Florida, the process of decomposition or decay is very slow. 

After having searched the immediate vicinity of this 
scene so strange and full of interest, and pondering it in 
my own mind without more satisfactory data on which 
to found an argument, I ordered my men again into line, 
and with a front that covered a wide extent of country 
pursued my exploration. Having completed a wide sur- 
vey of the country to the right and left of our position, 
and without further result, I returned to camp about 
sunset, and reported to the Colonel. He listened atten- 
tively to my account, and was evidently as much puzzled 
as myself. But although he seemed unwilling to put the 
worst construction on it, he wrote, on our return here, to 
Washington, requesting that the revenue cutters stationed 
on the coast of Louisiana and West Florida might be 
ordered to cruise occasionally along this coast, and look 
in upon us at the garrison. While on this subject, I may 
as well tell you that, during our further progress up the 
coast, and in the course of examinations made at several 
places on our homeward voyage, nothing more was dis- 
covered of the haunts of pirates. No one, however, seemed 
to entertain a doubt that we had fallen upon one of their 
places of occasional resort, though perhaps not lately 
visited by them. 

M 



178 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

The next morning, before the coming day grew gray in 
the east, Maximo and his assistant were astir. The latter 
was a Spanish-Indian half-blood from Charlotte Har- 
bor; a very powerful man, well formed, though rather 
stout, as quiet and obedient as a spaniel, and could dive 
deeper, and stay under water longer, than any man I ever 
saw. The Colonel had directed Maximo to bring with 
him his turtle-seine, his "peg/^ and all other appliances 
for hunting the green turtle ; and the latter, with the spirit 
of an ardent fisherman, was thus early in motion to "try^^ 
after turtle on the side of the islands next the gulf. 

The green turtle feeds principally on marine plants, but 
more especially the plant here called " turtle-grass,''' wdiich 
is found on the outside of the Keys. As it grows in 
tolerably deep water, the turtles dive after it, and cutting 
it off at the roots close to the sand, eat the tender part 
only: the remainder comes to the surface; and where the 
animals are numerous, large fields of this herbage are 
formed. Indications of this had not escaped the sagacious 
observation of the fishermen, and hence their wish to be 
upon the spot before the turtle came to feed. 

As the Colonel had decided to remain here one day, he 
was not abroad as early as ususal. So, before breakfast, 
as I strolled upon the beach in front of my tent, I saw a 
large flock of the white ibis, or, as it is called here, Bec- 
roche, settle down at the water's edge near by. I ran 
for my fowling-piece, and giving them both barrels, 
brought down eleven of them. This bird, somewhat to 
my surprise, I found on the table excellent. After break- 
fast I walked out with the Colonel to look at the remains 
of the pirate camp, as we called it. Here, as we examined 
particularly everything about the place, the probabilities 
p7'o and con were pondered, but without our being able 
to form any satisfactory conclusions in our own minds. 
Towards noon, Lambert and the crew of the gig were put 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 179 

in requisition, and I accompanied the Colonel in an aquatic 
excursion around the Key directly in front of us. It was 
a very pretty island, four or five miles long, rising in the 
centre some twenty or thirty feet above the water. We did 
not land ; but coming-to in a cove or deep bend in the 
land, we threw out our lines and in a little while caught 
sheephead and redfish enough for dinner. On our return 
we saw Maximo coming in with his canoe, having appar- 
ently something in tow. On his arrival we had the pleas- 
ure to see two green turtles drawn on shore. They were 
each over one hundred pounds in weight. The men had 
discovered their feeding-ground, and had succeeded in 
entangling these two in their seine. While we were stand- 
ing here, listening to Maximo's amusing account, half 
English, half Spanish, of his morning's success, he stopped 
suddenly as his eye happened to glance out seaward, and 
steadily gazing at some object where I could perceive 
none, he said to me, — 

''Adjutant, do you see a small speck on the water just 
here," pointing with the finger of his outstretched arm. 

I looked intently in the direction indicated, and saw 
something that looked like a chip lying upon the calm 
w^ater. '' Is that what you refer to, Maximo ? '' I asked, 
rather doubtingly. 

'' Yes, Scnor," he replied, " that is the back of a green 
turtle asleep on the water, and not many men see that this 
time of year.'' 

He then told me that at this season the turtles keep 
themselves in deep water, and do not come near land ex- 
ce})t to feed. He then asked me if I would like to cap- 
ture him with the "pe//." I expressed my delight at the 
idea. 

"You shall do it in two minutes," he said with empha- 
sis ; and springing into the canoe^ he seized his weapon 
and sprang on shore again. Pie placed it in my hand, 



180 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

and directed me to strike near the vertebrae^ or, in other 
words, close on one side of the ridge which projects along 
the medial line of the animal's upper shell. The why and 
wherefore of this caution I must explain to you, although 
it will require fifty times the words with which the little 
man's injunction was conveyed to me, who, in fact, knew 
all about it previously, though I had never been called 
upon before to put it in practice. Know then, most learned 
friend, that there arises from the under side of the real 
vertebrae a consolidated process extending laterally until it 
meets the true shell at a distance of four to six or more 
inches, according to the age and size of the animal. This 
leaves a vacant space between these two shells, wdiich is 
greatest next to the vertebrae. This arrangement, no 
doubt intended by nature as an additional strength and 
defence against injury, the quick discernment of some 
veteran turtle-hunter, the inventor of the peg, has availed 
himself of to produce a weapon with which to capture 
infallibly his victim, without inflicting a wound that will 
in any way affect its health. This instrument consists of 
a square-sided piece of steel, one inch long and half an 
inch wide : one-fourth of an inch at one end is required to 
form the point, which of course is a four-sided pyramid ; 
one-fourth of an inch above the base of this pyramid is a 
shoulder, a quarter of an inch in thickness, and projecting 
one-fourth of an inch on each face of the peg ; the remain- 
ing fourth of an incli of the length of the peg is firmly 
inserted into the small end of a conical socket, into which 
the staff fits loosely. To an iron ring at the upper end 
of the socket is made fast a cord, or redfish-line, of forty 
or fifty feet. This cord or line is passed through a loop 
of the same cord, the strands of Avhich are separated and 
plaited in a flat band neatly around the staff near the 
lower end, which loop, when the peg strikes the turtle and 
the staff flies out of the socket, prevents the escaj^e and 



BY GEORGE J. McCALL. 181 

loss of the staff. Now, when the turtle is struck, the peg 
enters the shell but half an inch, and there is stopped by 
the shoulder of the peg; but the shell of the animal instantly 
contracts upon that portion of the peg Avhich is square, a 
quarter of an inch only, with such a firm, grasping force 
that no effort of the animal can effect its removal. 

Trusting that I may have made myself intelligible, I 
will proceed with my narrative. Maximo, after instruct- 
ing me how to strike, fastened the end of the line to an 
iron ring in the bow of the canoe and took his seat in the 
stern, and with a motion of his hand invited me to step 
into the bow. I must also tell you, before I go further, that 
immediately after our arrival at Hillsborough in February, 
I procured a canoe ; and taking great delight in managing 
it while hunting ducks, I soon became an adept in propel- 
ling the little craft, as well as preserving my balance in any 
position sitting or standing; so that when I stepped into the 
canoe and took my place standing in front, staff in hand, 
it was not at all as a novice in this species of navigation. 
Maximo quietly put his paddle into the water, and with 
a sculling movement of hand drove the canoe forward with 
a motion so light and steady that not the slightest ripple 
was produced to warn the animal of our approach. Nearly 
ten minutes were required to reach our prey: it seemed to 
me an age. As we drew near the sleeping animal, I could 
hear him breathe ; Maximo had directed his course a little 
to the right, just enough to leave my right arm free, and- 
at a preconcerted signal, as we came within fifteen feet of 
the turtle, I with a steady eye launched my shaft ; I heard 
the peg strike; the staff flew off; the line swiftly uncoiled. 
Maximo called to me to sit down, and the little man plied 
his paddle with a savage fierceness and rapidity that aston- 
ished me, followino; the direction taken bv the turtle. 

He led us a fearful race, sometimes drawing the bow of 
the canoe down nearly to the water's edge, in spite of Max- 
16 



1S2 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

imo's almost superhuman efforts to keep the line slack. 
At last his speed began to diminish, and in a little while 
after, his broad shell, bottom up, floated to the surface ; he 
was drowned. I cannot deny that I was greatly elated as 
Maximo came forward and drew in the line. 

^^ Buenos diets tenga listed, Sen or /^ (Good morning, sir,) 
said Maximo, addressing the turtle, as he drew him along- 
side, and placed his hand upon the armpit of the animal. 
^' He is fat,'^ he continued, turniug to me, " and a good 
two hundred.'^ 

Then it was that I learned, that, to ascertain the condition 
of a turtle, you must feel under the armpit, or, in other 
words more fitting for ears polite, at the hollow where 
the forearm or fin comes from under the lower shell ; if at 
that point the flesh is firm and fills well up and even 
with the shell, the animal is fat ; if the part is sunken and 
flabby, he is in poor condition. Maximo now undid the 
fiistening of the line to the ring at the bow, and carried it 
to the stern, wdiere he made it fast with short-end line ; and 
we then steered for our camj^. On landing, we found the 
Colonel, who had been an interested spectator of our move- 
ments, still on the beach. He congratulated me very 
cordially on my success. The turtle was now drawn out 
upon the white sand where we stood. Maximo approached 
and asked very demurely, — 

"Would the Adjutant be pleased to draw the peg?'' 

I knew it required very considerable strength, though 
I have never seen it done. However, I thought I must 
make the effort. I therefore ap])roached the turtle, who 
lay, as I may say, in his upright posture, and placing one 
foot against his side, I made the trial ; it was entirely 
futile : I then stepped upon his back, placed one foot on 
each side of the peg, for I liad planted it in the right 
place, and winding the cord round both hands, pulled with 
all my might, until my eyes felt as if they were going to 



i 



BY GEORGE A, McCALL. 183 

pop out of my head, but with no better success. Maximo 
then took his place on the back of the turtle ; he was not 
tall, but was stout and strong, as I had already seen, as a 
lion. After several tugs he brought the peg out; it 
required, however, all the force he could exert. So you 
see the contractile power of this bone is wonderful ; the 
plug being perfectly smooth, without barbs or anything 
that could aid in holding it. 

I have written you a long letter, and will now bid you 
good night. Adieu. 



Hillsborough Bay, January 4, 1828. 

My dear Brother: — I have the pleasure to inform 
you that I shall soon be in motion again. To me this is 
always agreeable. The intelligence I have to communi- 
cate is this : The commanding oflftcer has received orders 
from Washington to open a Military Road from this post 
to Alachua, about one hundred and twenty miles to the 
north. My company (as I style that of which I still 
retain the command) is one of two detailed for this 
service ; and we are ordered to commence the work at this 
point immediately. 

As we shall very soon leave the Barracks and pitch our 
camp some ten miles in advance, I must try to finish my ac- 
count of our expedition to Anclote Keys to-night. On the 
morrow succeeding the day, an account of the acts and 
exploits of which were recorded in my last letter, we 
arrived at our destination after a delightful sail, and 
anchored in Anclote River. Nothing can surpass the 
freshness and the happy temperature of the atmosphere 
along this whole coast, and I can assure you, it contributed 
in no small measure to the enjoyment in which our little 
party, of both high and low degree, participated. This, 
together with the bonhomie of the Colonel, his kindness 



184 LETTERS FBOM THE FRONTIERS, 

and generosity on all occasions, has left a lasting impres- 
sion upon my mind of pleasures without alloy, inseparably 
linked with my recollections of the expedition to Anclote 
River. Beloved by his men, the Colonel is the most 
indulgent of commandins^ officers, without ever losing^ 
sight of what is required of every man in the discharge of 
his appropriate duties. 

I have not, at this moment, time to enter into the par- 
ticular account of each day of the three or four we passed 
at this camp. But as there was nothing extraordinary 
occurred, I will simply state that we hunted, fished, and 
captured green turtles, to the satisfaction of all parties. 
Besides delicious soup and steaks from the turtle I had 
captured with the ^^ j^eg,^^ we had venison, wild turkey, 
and several kinds of fish in great plenty ; therefore we 
fared bravely, or rather I should say, we feasted morning, 
noon, and night. The Colonel, with Maximo, took with 
the seine eight green turtles, which, with the two before 
taken, made ten taken alive. These Avere by Maximo tied 
to stakes in shoal water, and regularly fed with turtle-grass^ 
which Juan dived after and brought up in quantities 
when it happened to be too deep for the oyster-tongs. I 
made several excursions up Anclote River, accompanied 
always by a couple of men with muskets. On these occasions 
I bagged two deer and four turkeys, besides a few partridges, 
which, by the by, appeared to me rather smaller than our 
Northern bird, and somewhat differently marked. 

At length, when the day fixed upon for our return came 
round, the turtles were carefully laid upon their backs in 
the different boats, to be staked out and fed at night. In 
fine, we arrived safely and without further adventure. 
I must not omit to report that the turtles came to hand 
in perfect health, and were duly introduced to other 
members of their family in the crawl. It is amusing to see 
Maximo with his pets ; when one is wanted for the table, 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 185 

he dives clowrij the water in the crawl being between three 
and four feet, and brings up a turtle in his arms ; this he 
places upon its back on the surface of the water, and sup- 
ports it with his left hand beneath the shell, while with 
his right he ascertains the condition of the animal by feel- 
ing under the arm. If the turtle is not fat, he is turned 
over and allowed to find his way to the bottom again. 
Maximo then dives after another, and so on till he finds 
one that pleases him. You must be content now, dear 
friend, with a short letter, and perhaps a long interval 
before you get another. I may not write again before we 
reach Alachua. Adieu. 



Alachua, March 29, 

My dear Brother : — Here we are at the end of our 
road. All are rejoiced at the termination of our labors. 
No soldier likes "fatigue duty!'' It stands on the Roster 
below "Duty under Arms ;^^ and every good soldier's 
pride leads him to rejoice when detailed on the latter, 
while he dislikes or even detests the former. I never knew 
but one instance of a soldier volunteering for fatigue ; this 
was an old countryman whom I enlisted in tlie Cherokee 
country. He had been living some time with the Indians, 
when his eccentricities, which had before caused him to 
remove from the society of his relatives and friends in 
Missouri, drove him from the association, illy judged and 
unfortunate in its termination, with the red man. Donnelly, 
for that was his name, came to my tent one morning with 
his rifle and leather garments, and asked me to enlist him. 
A little conversation with the man satisfied me that he 
was well educated, and had the manners and address of a 
person of highly respectable standing. I enlisted him, 
although he was above tlie age allowed by law. In a few 
weeks the men became acquainted with his eccentricities, 
1(3^ 



1R6 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

but were rather amused than annoyed by them ; and 
Donnelly became every day more and more a favorite with 
the company. 

One day, while on a march, at a point where we were 
to remain for some days, I directed my First Sergeant to 
turn out a fatigue party of ten men to clear the ground 
about my tent. Soon after the work was commenced, I 
heard a hearty laugh from the party at work, and one of 
the men called out, — 

" Well ! Donnelly, you are the first man I ever knew to 
volunteer on fatigue duty." To which my old recruit 
replied, — 

" I heard the Sergeant say the Captain wanted the 
ground about his tent cleared in sho7i order, and I came 
to do what the Captain wanted done promptly." Another 
good-natured laugh followed. I then called the old man 
to me and thanked him for his well-meant zeal, but told 
him there were a sufficient number of men called out and 
that he might return to his tent, which he did with a low 
bow. In this case — I speak now of the road-cutters — it 
was somewhat different. We were simply taken from the 
fatigue duty of building Barraclvs, Block Houses, Guard 
Houses, and Wharves, and put upon that of o])ening roads 
where we had, instead of the irksome labor of the former, 
tlie profits of eitlier acquired knowledge, or the pleasure to 
be derived from unexpected incidents springing up in the 
course of our progress. 

Here, even at this moment, there recurs to me a story 
apparently incredible, although vouched for by an officer 
of rank in a conversation with myself not long ago, and 
who, then a Lieutenant, was with the army on the Canada 
frontier when the incident occurred, and was personally 
acquainted with the facts as well as with the officer of 
whom the story is told. 

It was in the earlier period of our war with Great 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 187 

Britain of 1812-15, when General Brown was in command 
on our northern frontier, that he ordered a military road 
to be opened from some one point to another, distant about 
ten miles. This would have required the labor of a com- 
pany of seventy or eighty men about one month, as the 
forest was dense. The detail fell upon a Captain of the 

Regiment, afterwards one of the most distinguished 

Generals of the United States Army, — distinguished not 
only for his personal gallantry, but for his quick discern- 
ment, sound judgment and decision in battle. 

He marched with his company armed with axes, at 
reveille, and to the surprise of his Colonel returned with 
his company the evening of the same day. He was sent 
for by his Colonel to explain such extraordinary conduct. 
When asked why he had brought his company back to 
camp, he replied with perfect simplicity of manner, — 
''that he had commenced cutting the road of the re- 
quired width — sixty feet — but that as he proceeded it 
grew narrower and narrower, till at last, about sunset, the 
two sides of tlie road came too:ether ao:ainst an enormous 
tree, whereupon he had returned.^' 

This extraordinary conduct was reported to General 
Brown, who sent for the officer. On being asked to ex- 
plain a procedure so unprecedented, he respectfully re- 
plied, ''that he knew how to lead his company in battle; 
but that he knew notliing about opening roads." 

His interview with the General was protracted, during 
which the latter perceiving that tliis young officer was as 
full of talent of high order as of resources of the kind just 
exliibited, (that is to say, of fencing off a duty he deemed, 
in his ignorance of the real duty of a soldier, to be deroga- 
tory,) pardoned tliis whimsical act, and gave him orders 
to join the staff of the Adjutant-General of his army. 
Tliis distinguished officer has many years since paid the 
debt of nature: as has likewise mv informant, a dear and 



188 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

much valued friend, quite recently ; but I have no reason 
to doubt the facts as related to me. 

'^ Mais revenons a 7ios moufons.^' Some ten days or more 
after breaking ground, we reached the Little Hillsborough 
River, an affluent of the principal river of that name. 
As we had to erect a bridge over this stream, we were 
encamped on its banks some days. The only thing worthy 
of note in regard to this river, is a curious fact that was 
first communicated to me by an Indian : namely, that 
when the main river is flooded, it forces its waters up this 
stream and empties them through Fish Creek, whose 
debouchure is a mile or more to the east of the mouth of 
the Big Hillsborough. This assertion was to me so sur- 
prising that I determined to investigate the matter before 
we left our present camp ; and I did so to my entire satis- 
faction. At the distance of two miles, perhaps, below our 
bridge, this stream pours its tribute into the Big Hills- 
borough. The former rises to the south of our camp, 
runs northwest until within a few hundred yards of its 
mouth, when it makes a sudden turn to the southwest 
and unites with the larger river at an angle of about sixty 
or seventy degrees ; so that, as strange as it would seem, the 
larger stream must, to fulfil the Indian\s statement, not 
only overcome the force of the minor stream, — no mean 
current, — but it must drive its waters back at an angle 
less than a right angle with the direction of its OAvn cur- 
rent. This fact being established, I followed the Little 
Hillsborough to its source, about five miles above our 
bridge. Here in the pine barren, on a slightly elevated 
plateau, I found a small lake, the source of our river. 
Directly south of this were two other lakes whose waters 
were connected by a small stream or channel, and these 
two lakes I saw were the origin from which Fish Creek 
received its current. These lakes were not more than one 
hundred and fifty yards fi'om the one first mentioned, and 



I 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 189 

there was at present no connection between their waters. 
The one first alluded to was evidently on the summit 
level, though the difference was trifling. On further ex- 
amination, however, I discovered a dry channel leading 
from the single to the double lake, and all along this 
gully, the reeds and other plants were bent down towards 
the double pond, showing clearly which way the water 
had run. The nearly level country through which the 
Little Hillsborough flows ; the wide extent of country 
which is drained by the Big Hillsborough, and the high 
and narrow rocky gorge but a short distance below the 
advent of the waters of the lesser river, fully and satis- 
factorily explained to me this, at first, inexplicable phe- 
nomenon. 

Our next point of interest in opening this road, was at 
the river Hillsborough proper. The Indian name of this 
river is ^^Lockclia-popha-chisha,' "Acorti-eating-r^iver;'^ in 
other words, the river to which we come to eat acorns. As 
we had to bridge this fine river, we were encamped on its left 
bank, an elevated bluflp, several weeks. As the work pro- 
gressed, I was with my men one morning before break- 
fast ; two of the three trestles upon which the bridge was 
to rest being set erect and pinned together temporarily, 
simply by boards tacked on to them and to a log upon 
the bank to keep them In position until the third trestle 
was raised, which the men with ropes were at that moment 
bringing to its upright position ; I observed our most 
worthy and esteemed Surgeon seated on the trestle nearest 
to me. I had just thought of walking up the steep board 
leading from the river-bank to the trestle where the Sur- 
geon sat, in order to have a little pleasant chat with him 
before breakfast, when the third trestle, which the men 
were In the act of raising, and which our chief carpenter 
Plew, standing on the middle trestle, was preparing to 
fasten to the one on which he stood — lo and behold! 



190 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

trestle No. 3 swings beyond its perpendicular, through 
the over-strain upon the rope in the hands of the men on 
the opposite bank, who were raising it. It throws the men 
who hold the guy, by a sudden jerk, into the river, and 
striking with its great weight the middle trestle, drives 
that ao:ainst No. 1 with sufficient force to send it with 
double velocity against the bank. The Doctor, who, as I 
have said, sat upon the last trestle, described the arc of the 
circle, still seated and with perfect composure, until the 
trestle rudely strikes upon the bank, when he is precipi- 
tated backwards into the water six or eight feet deep. As 
he rises again to the surface, I, with one of the men, spring 
to the spot, and we draw him out unharmed, though 
thoroughly chilled and minus his gold spectacles. Plew, 
who was on the highest trestle, at least twelve feet from 
the water, boldly jumped clear of the debris and swam to 
shore. The old fellow, a private of company C, was lifted 
up the bank by some of the men, when the first words he 
uttered, as he shook himself like a great Newfoundland dog, 
were: '^ Chalk and all gone!^^ it having so happened that 
his chalk and line, which were lying on the trestle, were 
swept down the current, and could not be replaced short 
of Fort Brooke. Tlie Doctor's spectacles were afterwards 
found by an Indian at the river-ford below, to which 
point they had been carried by the swiftness of the current 
and there stranded. I should add, that my excellent 
friend, the Surgeon, experienced no serious inconvenience 
from the accident ; and, except that occasioned by the loss 
of his glasses, looked upon the thing as a fair subject for 
a good hearty laugh. Adieu. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 191 



Alachua, March, . 

When the work at Hillsborough was completed, we 
pushed on and soon opened a road to the Amaxura or 
Withlocoochee. The old Spanish name Amaxura, given 
to this river probably in the sixteenth century, is now 
nearly obsolete; the Indian titular designation being the 
one, I believe, almost universally used. Withlocoochee is 
compounded of tlie words weewa, water, and thlock-koy 
broad, i. e. Broad River ; the name having reference to the 
width at its mouth and for some miles above. 

The point selected for crossing this stream was a gorge 
where the river had forced its way through a pine bluff, 
the first obstruction to its passage to the Gulf of Mexico 
met with in its descent from the fountain-head. Here the 
stream is narrow, and was bridged at a cost of no great 
labor. 

The first leisure day after encamping here, (which in 
truth I must confess was on Sunday,) I set out with Cap- 
tain Yancey and a youth of twelve summers, the son of 
our excellent surgeon, to explore as far as we might in a 
single day the country bordering on the upper river. We 
set out on foot with our guns, not wishing to expose our 
horses to the treacherous cypress bottoms, where in an 
instant and without warning they might be engulfed past 
retrieving. We had not proceeded more than two or 
three miles before Ave encountered a branch of the river 
margined like the river itself with heavily -timbered 
cypress land lying under a foot or two of water. Through 
this we penetrated to the banks of the stream, which we 
found to be deep and sluggish. We were, therefore, com- 
pelled to retrace our steps, and undertake the task of 
heading the stream. This gave us a good five mile 
tramp ; but we accomplished it without meeting with 
accident or adventure, and then struck in towards the 



192 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

river. Before we reached the river, the afternoon was 
well advanced ; but we had not come thus far to return 
without knowing something more of the country we had set 
out to explore, and it was decided to proceed up the river 
until we should come to a country of more promise than 
that through Avhich we had hitherto been toiling, namely, 
cypress swamp on one side and a coarse wet grass prairie 
on the other. Our perseverance was at length rewarded 
with the sight of pine timber ; and in a little while we trod 
upon dry land for the first time since we left our camp 
a mile behind us. The sun was now setting in a bright- 
red horizon, and while watching its dilated orb as it passed 
away to enliven other lands, I discovered a fine fox squir- 
rel, the only game we had met with during the day ; I 
speedily brought him to the earth, and as I stooped to 
pick up the animal, Yancey's gun sung out the requiem 
of its mate. This success announced to us satisfactorily 
as we could desire, that w^e had reached without mistake 
the pine barren country, where alone this squirrel inhab- 
its. Having discovered at a little distance the large 
sjireading head of a noble live-oak, it was at once agreed 
that under its sheltering branches our camp-fire should be 
lighted. A few 'Hlghtwood knots/^ as the half burned forks 
of pine-tree branches are called, were soon ignited by the 
flash of pow^der in the pan of one of our guns, whose vent 
or touch-hole had preyiously been stopped by a little 
wooden plug, in order to save the load of powder and 
ball or shot; and having piled on a goodly supply of dry 
wood, our clothing, so long saturated with cypress-stained 
water, was soon dried. Having for a time enjoyed the 
bright glare reflected from the dense canopy above us, 
and having our chilled limbs revivified, we suffered the 
fire to subside while we prepared the squirrels for our 
evening meal. These, when ready for the fire, were each 
spitted on the top of a spicewood branch, the other end 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 193 

of which was sunk into the ground; and thus standing 
erect they were in a little while roasted to a turn. This 
squirrel, the largest of its generical class in our country, 
is remarkably fine for the table, and we really had a very 
good supper ; for which a walk of at least twenty miles 
had duly prepared us. 

The cypress timber to-day was magnificent, — it was the 
largest I had ever seen, towering to a height I am afraid 
to estimate. Supper having been dispatched, we cut a few 
leaves of the saw-palmetto for our beds, threw more wood 
on the fire, and lying down Avere soon — at least I can 
speak for one — wrapt In the arms of Morpheus. 

In the morning we took a look at the country for some 
miles around. It proved to be pine land, here and there 
interspersed with oak and hickory, indicating a soil strong 
enough to raise good crops of cotton. Afterwards taking 
a more direct route tlian the one by which we came, and 
walking rapidly, the noon of that day saw us at camp 
again. Some ten days after this, having finished the 
bridge over this stream, we moved forward without meet- 
ing with anything of particular interest until we reached 
the largest affluent of the river, which has been designated 
as the " Little Withlocoochee." This creek (for I cannot 
call it river) likewise required a bridge, whicli was accord- 
ingly thrown over it; and then again we dashed into a 
dense thicket of oak and hickory with an undergrowth 
almost impenetrable to anything less potent than an ele- 
phant or the American felling-axe. Eighty stout axe-men, 
however, made everything fly before them, and in one day 
we made our way through all impediment, and were again 
in the pine woods, the sweet balsamic atmosphere of which 
is so exhilarating in the early mornings of our cloudless 
days: nothing could be more health-inducing. 

Onward the command went with spirits as cheerful as 
the bright sun of those cloudless days, until, with expec- 
17 N 



194 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

tation fully roused, we reached the shore of Orange Lake, 
that fairy land of gorgeous vegetation. Almost through- 
out the territory, wherever I have been, Florida abounds 
in vegetable productions in endless variety and of the 
most luxuriant growth. The majestic appearance of its 
towering forest-trees, the brilliant colors of its flowering 
vines and shrubs, call forth one's admiration and wonder 
wheresoever he turns, unless it be perchance when toiling 
through the monotonous and almost airless pine-barren, 
or half immersed in the drear and gloomy cypress swamp. 
In the latter, forsooth, he may find enough, to excite his 
wonder, if not his admiration. Here he cannot but gaze 
in wonder at the enormous shafts of the cypress-trees, 
which support their broad, flat, umbrella-shaped tops at 
the distance of a hundred and twenty or more feet above 
the earth. Nor will he indeed be less bewildered as he 
contemplates the smooth reddish "knees'' or excrescences 
that apparently spring from the roots of the trees and 
surround him on all sides to the height of four or five 
feet, without leaf or sign of life. 

Whilst the pines and cedars reach immense size on the 
poorer lands, the hickory and several of the oaks attain as 
great altitude in the better soil which their presence indi- 
cates, and the live-oak, seeking the shell-hummocks, con- 
tinues to increase in bulk till centuries have crowned it 
as the king of the forest. Such is the general aspect of 
Southern Florida as far as has come under my notice. But 
here around this beautiful lake nature seems almost to have 
exhausted invention in preparing for herself an abode where 
peace, adorned with all that is exquisite in climate, all that 
is beautiful in scenery, might love to dwell. The margin 
of the lake is a broad belt of orange groves, extending for 
miles upon miles. This belt of land, which is of great 
fertility, has l)ecn devoted to the orange. No tree, no 
shrub of meaner gro\vth has been permitted to infest the 



BY GEOBGE A. McCALL. W5 

soil. But here and there a grand and conspicuous object 
is seen rising to the height of a hundred feet above the 
oranges. This is the Magnolia Grandiflora, Avhose sym- 
metrically-conical head glistens with dark-green foliage. It 
was the middle of the month of January, and the orange- 
trees were loaded with fruit, so that the canopy overhead 
was of green and gold, almost equally divided, and profusely 
spangled with minute white flowers of delicious odors. 

Turning from this gorgeous scene, I looked out upon 
the lake whose clear waters stretcli some eighteen miles in 
length by three or four in width, and what a charming 
view was there presented to my eyes ! I gazed long and 
intently as I followed the sinuations of the shores, and the 
swell or depression of them as they gradually diminished 
in the distance. The ^' spectacle,^' as the French say, was 
truly refreshing; but as the sun had passed the meridian, 
and as my morning meal had been taken as the same sun 
had cast his first rays upon this fruitful land, I only lin- 
gered a few minutes longer to take a parting look at a 
green island which at the distance of half a mile raised its 
head above the bright water, before I turned my attention 
to the inviting spectacle presented by the orange-trees in 
my rear. This orange is Avhat is called here the " hitter- 
siveetJ' As I knew it would be some hours before our 
camp w^ould be established and dinner served, I plucked 
several large oranges fresh from the trees, and ate them 
with much relish. The fruit would not be considered 
comparable to the China orange, which is cultivated at 
Pensacola and, as I understand, somewhat extensively at 
St. Augustine, on the Atlantic coast ; yet it is refreshing, 
and by no means unpalatable. Nature has been so boun- 
tiful in the bestowal of her gift of miles upon miles of 
groves of this prolific tree, that the improvident children 
of the wilderness hesitate not to lay the axe to the root of 
the tree as the most convenient mode of gathering tlie fruit. 



196 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

I counted half a dozen trees near where I stood that had 
but recently been hacked down with the tomahawk, simply 
for this purpose. I was told by our interpreter that an 
Indian who ^^ wants to eat oranges^^ encamps with his fam- 
ily somewhere on the edge of the grove, cuts down a tree, 
fills his blanket, and they all fall to and eat oranges for a 
w^eek at a time, taking no other food. Whether this is 
done as a sanitary or perhaps religious observance, I am 
unable to say, but the fact seems to be established beyond 
question. A family, which had been encamped about a 
mile from us, brought us the next day a large earthen jug 
containing about a gallon of the juice of the orange, which 
they disposed of at twenty-five cents a quart. It made, 
with a little sugar and water, quite a pleasant beverage. 

As the sun rose the following morning, (we are always 
abroad at the peep of day,) I looked out upon the lake, 
when, to my no little surprise, the island I had observed 
the previous day had disappeared, and on further exam- 
ination the water of the lake seemed to have receded from 
the shore nearly one hundred yards. It Avas not until I 
walked down to the shore of the lake that I discovered 
that the island I had noticed the day before had drifted 
with the wind against the shore where I stood. These 
floating islands, which, as I afterwards learned, are found 
in many parts of Orange Lake, are formed by the growth 
of a strictly speaking " ivater-j^lant.'^ 

Of this singular plant the roots do not fix themselves in 
the earth, but float upon the surface of the water, deriving 
all their sustenance from that element — or rather I should 
say fluid — and the carbon of the atmosphere. As the indi- 
vidual plants are brought in contact by the motion of the 
water, their roots, which are long and ramous, become 
interlaced, and in time, as they grow and increase and 
multiply their branches, become firmly united and com- 
pact as a mat. Upon this floor, as it were, the foliage as 



BY GEORGE A. Mr CALL. 197 

it falls becomes decomposed, and at length forms, in fact, a 
little soil, upon which the seeds of other plants dropped 
by the birds vegetate and spring up ; some of them even 
at this season rearing their spikes of yellow flowers above 
the rest of their associates.* 

At noon this day the working parties reached our camp, 
Avhich you will understand had been pitched in advance. 
Near the road, which here followed the course of a ridge 
extending some miles in front of us, I came unexpectedly 
upon one of the strange features of this strange land. I 
refer to the ^' Limestone sinks,'^ as they are called. I was 
very near walking into a fissure in the rock, which just 
cropped out for the space of about six feet square, and was 
partially concealed by the tall grass and bushes which 
grew around. Making my way cautiously to the brink, 
I looked down what was as much like the well you often 
see at the side of a farm-house as you can well imagine. 
The opening in the rock was elliptical or nearly circular, 
of six feet in diameter. It was eighteen feet deep, as I 
subsequently ascertained, and the walls almost as regular 
as they might have been had they been built by the hands 
of an unskilful stone-mason. When I say eighteen feet, 
I mean to the surface of the water ; how deep below that 
I had not the means of ascertaining. I looked down into 
the pellucid water, and there saw seven or eight fish, 
apparently of the Pike family, and eight or ten inches in 
length ; they were about a foot below the surface. Having 
w^atched their movements some time, I let fall a very small 
piece of stone into the water, when, like a flash, they all 
disappeared; and as they darted ofl' laterally, I concluded 
that the sink expanded at that depth. In a minute or 
two the fish returned to the light, and remained generally 
stationary. 

I then went to my tent for a small fishing-line, which, 
having baited with a common earth-worm, I carefully let 
I''* * See note at tlie end of this work. 



198 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

down amongst the fish. As the hook touched the water, 
they all disappeared as before ; but as I kept my line per- 
fectly immovable, in less than a minute they were around 
my hook, and I entertained sanguine hopes of soon hav- 
ing some of the little beauties in my possession. These 
hopes, however, were destined to disappointment. I saw 
several of them pass close to the bait without paying the 
slightest attention to it. My patience exhausted ; I began 
to devise some other means of capturing these stupidly 
hungerless fish. Pike, I knew, were easily taken with a 
noose or running knot slipped over the head while resting 
quietly, perhaps asleep, at the surface ; but how the noose 
would act at the depth of a foot or more, I had some 
doubts; nevertheless I resolved to try it. I walked round 
among the wagon-mules till I met with one rejoicing in 
a flowing tail ; from this I succeeded, at the risk of a 
salute from his heels, in withdrawing a small lock. Having 
plaited a strong noose which would run beautifully on the 
slightest pressure being applied, I repaired to a small 
pond I had a few days before discovered at the distance 
of a quarter of a mile on tlie opposite side of the road, 
around which there was a cane-break, producing some 
remarkably fine canes. With a hatchet I succeeded in pro- 
curing one of these full twenty feet long. To the extremity 
of this, when stripped of its leaves, I fastened my noose. 
Then, lying down upon my breast, I introduced my noose into 
the water by very slow and extremely carefully measured 
approaches to the depth of the fish, without alarming them. 
Then by impercej)tible advances I got it over the head 
of one of the largest of them, and wlien encircling the 
middle of his body I gave a sudden jerk, thinking, poor 
mortal, in my vain reckoning, that the prize was surely 
mine ; but the pike Avas out of sight before the noose 
could close upon him. It was no doubt the motion of the 
water at that depth, as I luid apprehended, that gave him 



J 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 199 

intimation of danger, and prompted him to dart away 
ere the snare could be drawn. I made, perhaps a dozen 
trials with no better success — alwa}'s succeeding in pass- 
ing the slip-knot over the head of the pike, but never 
accomplishing his capture. 

We remained encamped upon the borders of Orange 
Lake for three days, during which we all ate freely of the 
fruit ^^ a la sauvage/^ without experiencing any ill effects. 

I omitted to mention, that after failing to secure a single 
pike of those inhabiting this subterranean stream, to which 
this sink was an air-hole, I attempted to sound the bottom 
by tying my fishing line, sixteen feet long (with a bullet 
attached) to the end of the cane rod, which was twenty 
feet, but failed to reach bottom at, say, thirty-six feet. 

Without further incident worthy of note, the command 
reached the goal of our labors at this place a few days since. 
To-morrow we set out on our return march . Adieu, mo7i ami. 

P. S. — On the route I occasionally shot turkeys, par- 
tridges, and ducks, but no deer. 



Fort Brooke, March 30. 

My dear Father: — The days and weeks since we 
returned from Alachua, have quietly passed by without 
the happening of aught that is worth telling you. On the 
return march, however, I might have said in my last, 
that, as we reached our old camping-ground near Orange 
Lake, the idea occurred to me that a good opportunity 
was offered for the conveyance, to our gardens below, of a 
goodly store of young orange-trees. I, accordingly, had 
some of my men up before it was light, and marched them 
to the orange-groves with their spades. Here I took up 
one hundred seedlings of from two to three years old ; 
these I had carefully put up in bundles of ten, and laid in 
one of the empty wagons. The season was late, it is true; 



200 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

but these plants are hardy here, and the roots being- 
wrapped in dampened Spanish moss, I had the satisfac- 
tion to see them arrive in good condition. I distribnted 
them among the companies, and all appear to be doing 
well. 

Spring is now well advanced. Most of the trees around 
us have persistent foliage, and their shedding is scarcely 
noticed, so gradual is it ; but the deciduous ones are in 
full leaf already. 

Among the latter, there is a hickory of one hundred 
feet in height growing upon a little mound, thirty feet in 
circumference and fifteen in altitude, one, perhaps, of those 
aboriginal mausoleums which mark the former residence 
of some extinct race of men. This tree, or, I should say, 
the mound on which it stands, is near the bay shore, in 
oj^en ground, and has an uninterrupted view down the 
broad waters. It has a straight shaft of sixty feet, when it 
divides into three large limbs. Upon these limbs a plat- 
form six feet square has been placed, with benches and a 
railing round it. It is reached by a ladder, the shafts or 
frame of which were furnished by a single cypress sapling- 
ripped in two with the saw. Here on this platform is a 
truly, grand, and delightful look-out, commanding a view 
of the bay as far as Long Point, which is distinct at 
the distance of fifteen miles. From this elevation, to 
which on a calm morning I often resort with a book, and 
pass the hours in reading, gazing, and contemplation, I 
have several times seen the Bald or White-headed Eagle 
pitch from the bared top of a lofty pine some distance 
down the bay, as he watched the coursing of the Osprey 
or Fish-hawk, and witnessed his successful plunge upon 
a fish, which with powerful talon and wing he was strug- 
gling to raise from the water and bear away to his hungry 
offs})ring. As the bold robber drew nigh the hawk, I 
heard his scream of fear and execration, as he endeavored 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 201 

by making rapid circles in the air to gain an elevation 
above that of his enemy. But the odds were against him, 
— loaded as he was with his well-earned prize, the dis- 
parity between himself and the powerful and unencumbered 
eagle was too great, — and soon the latter towered above 
him. On gaining this advantage, the eagle made a pitch 
at the head of the osprey, who, poor fellow! in all respects 
unequal to the contest, relinquished the fish and fled 
away. The eagle checked his own flight with a suddenness 
that was wonderful, — he remained for an instant motion- 
less over the rapidly descending object of his cupidity, 
then closing his wings upon his body, he descended like a 
thunderbolt upon the fish, and took it in his talons before 
it reached the water. The air was calm, and where I sat 
I could hear the rush of his wings as he came down upon the 
fish ; yet he had scarcely clutched it before he whirled grace- 
fully and noiselessly upwards again, and apparently without 
an effort winged his way coolly to his eyry. Another time, 
while slttino; in this charmlno^ retreat from the noise of 
camp, while I had an hour exempt from duty, I saw a 
pair of these eagles floating quietly over the water at a 
distance of not more than fifty yards from where I sat. 
As the Avhite-headed eagle does not fish for himself, but is 
addicted to carrion of all kinds, as well as fish fresh from 
the salt-AA'ater, I was at a loss to divine the object or pur- 
pose of these great birds in circling round with heads 
turned aside, looking intently into the water; can it be, I 
asked myself, that they are looking with their carrion pro- 
pensities for dead fish ? But before I could turn this point 
in my mind — at the instant — two of the common ^^ Amer- 
ican guUs^^ came upon the scene, at a greater altitude than 
the eagles ; as they passed over the latter, one of them 
darted perpendicularly at the female eagle, Avho was easily 
distinguishable by her superior size, and as it passed, 
touched, as I thought, the head of the eagle, and passed 



202 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

on. The latter, thus insulted as it Avere, paused an 
instant, closed her wings, and fell like a cannon-ball upon 
the gull, which she took up in her talons in passing, and 
sailed off, followed by her mate. 

The weather is now delightful, though quite warm at 
mid-day. The alligators, who have laid torpid all winter, 
packed away in their dens in the river-banks, have come 
abroad to enjoy the genial sunshine, and to commit havoc 
on all animals who venture into the water which they in- 
habit. The Colonel lost a very fine Northern cow a few 
days ago by one of these monsters. She had waded into 
the river by the side of the wharf just about daylight or 
soon after, and, although almost under the eye of the sen- 
tinel, was seized by the udder, terribly lacerated and 
dragged under water, whence, in the course of the morn- 
ing, her carcass floated to and lodged upon a little sand- 
s})it not fifty yards below. Another officer lost a good 
pony much in the same way; he had waded into the water 
at noon to drink and cool his flanks, when he was caught 
by the hock and completely hamstrung. After suffering 
under such depredations, orders were given, as you may 
well suppose, that the sentinel posted at the wharf should 
fire upon every alligator that showed liis nose above 
water. In this way quite a number have been killed. 

The vitality of these reptiles is incredible to one who is 
a stranger to their nature and organization. Their vitality 
does not appear to be confined to any particular organ, as 
in the heart or brain, for instance, of animals of the higher 
classes, whose organs are more perfectly formed and more 
highly developed, but seems to be distributed, if I may 
venture so to say, throughout the system, or among the 
many more important organs, whose functions together 
maintain that mystery which we call life. The tenacity 
of life of the snake and the snapplng-turtle is proverbial; 
the old saying that, at whatever hour of the day you may 



BY GEORGE A. 31- CALL. 203 

cut oif tlielr heads they die not till sunset, may with some 
show of truth be said of this great twenty-foot animal, the 
alligator; — one has been killed here that measured from 
the end of his snout to the tip of his tail eighteen feet. To 
give you some data on which you may base your faith in 
what I have asserted in general terms, I will give you my 
experience in one or two cases occurring under my own 
eyes. In the first place, I must tell you that a short time 
since, being on duty as officer of the day, I had made the 
round of visiting the different guards and sentinels, the 
last inspected being at the subsistence stores, in front of 
which is the wharf. I observed several officers seated under 
a large live-oak, just below the store-houses. Here, at ten 
o'-clock in the morning, they were enjoying the refreshing 
sea-breeze then coming over the placid bay. I joined them 
with a glad appreciation of the shade and the delicious 
air so ^v^elcome after an hour's walk under a hot sun. I 
had not been many minutes in conversation with these 
gentlemen, when the top of an alligator's skull, his cold, 
hard, unmeaning eye, and the tip of his nose, all that he 
usually shows above water as he reconnoitres '' the land 
ahead," appeared suddenly in the stream, not thirty yards 
from the sentinel's post. The latter happened to be a man 
of my own company, who was, I knew, a crack shot. I 
gave him a signal to fire. Without an instant's pause, he 
brought his musket to his shoulder and made a " snap- 
shot." The huge creature sprung half out of water, and 
falling upon his back, lashed the water with his tail. This 
was apparently a large fellow, and I directed two of the 
guard, who were standing by as spectators, to take a canoe 
that lay at the wharf and bring the reptile ashore. He 
>vas dragged up near to the tree under which we sat, and 
measured thirteen feet. As I wanted a irood tooth from 
wliich to fashion a powder-charger for mv rifle, I scut for 
an axe. With this the man struck two heavy blows, driv- 



204 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

ing the edge of the axe up to the eye into the animal's 
skull, destroying, as one would think, all the brain, if any 
there was left after the shock produced by the musket-ball, 
which had passed entirely through it. I then directed 
the upper jaw to be chopped oif just in front of the eyes, 
and sent it away to be boiled, in order to loosen the 
teeth, one of the largest of which I wanted, as already 
stated. 

The largest tooth is the fourth in the lower jaw, which 
fits into a socket in the upper, and corresponds to the canine 
in the dog and cat families. I have had here an oppor- 
tunity of correcting an error into Avhich most persons have 
fallen with regard to the tongue of this animal ; the 
impression and belief being that the alligator is destitute 
of that organ. He has, however, a large, fleshy tongue ; 
it is flat and attached near its edges to the skin or flesh 
of the lower jaw. A curious arrangement of tlie soft 
palate prevents the water entering the lungs when the 
alligator seizes his prey under water. It hangs down so 
as to meet a cartilaginous plate projecting upwards from 
the lingual bone, and effectually closes tlie air-passage 
when the mouth is opened wide. But to return from this 
digression. While we still sat under the oak, perhaps 
half an hour after thg alligator had undergone the opera- 
tion so thoroughly performed by the axe-man, we were not 
a little surprised to see the fellow, who lay with his head 
turned from the water, rise upon his feet, wheel completely 
round, and walk directly into the water, a distance of about 
ten feet. He made his way through the bulrnshes, at least 
ten feet more, until he reached a depth that brought the 
water to the io\) of his back, and there he lay, I presume, 
until the high tide floated him ofi", for he had not moved 
when the call of ^'Roast-beef" upon the drum and fife 
summoned us to dinner, at one o'clock. Another instance 
is a rather comical one that happened to myself I had 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 205 

been out to ride, one morning, witli Lieutenant Alexan- 
der, \vjien, in returning, we saw in the road just in front 
of u.s, at the distance of a eouple of liundred yards from 
tlie guard-liouse, an alligator about seven feet in length. 
He had come from the river, and was crossing the road to 
a pond near by. As we drew up for a moment to look at 
him, I ha})pened to see lying by the road-side a pine pole 
of some ten feet long, and as thick as my arm, that had 
fallen from a passing wagon. This suggested to my mind 
the idea of having a little rencounter with the fellow, with 
a view to capture him if I could. Accordingly I dis- 
mounted, and giving the reins to Alexander, I seized the 
j)ole, which was quite as much as I could manage with 
both hands. 

As I approached Mister Alligator, swinging the pole 
in quite a threatening attitude around my head, he showed 
no disposition to back out; but, on the contrary, he at 
once faced me and advanced boldly with head erect, and 
hissing like forty geese. I stopped to receive him, and 
as he came within reach, I brought the pine pole down 
u})on his head with all the force I was master of. This 
neither appalled him nor checked his advance, and he 
continued his charge, slowly to be sure, but with great 
determination, still uttering his hissing defiance, and to- 
tally regardless of the heavy blows I continued to j)ile 
upon his head. I was compelled to move backwards to 
keep out of reach of his open jaws, but I continued to 
hammer him well over the head all the time. At length, 
my perseverance and the weight of the pine j)ole brouglit 
his head to the ground. I then took hold of the end of 
his tail with my left hand, and mounting my horse 
dragged my victim into the garrison. Having arrived at 
my quarters, I hitched my horse to the ring in a large 
live-oak in front, and leaving the alligator where he lay 
by the side of the horse, I entered my sitting-room where 
18 



200 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

the company clerk was engaged in making out some 
Returns. 

While standing at the table looking at his work, a loud 
shout and a merry laugh from the parade-ground called 
me to the door. Here I beheld ray friend, Master Alli- 
gator, with head up, marching with great dignity across 
the parade-ground towards the soldiers' Barracks, while 
the men were collecting round him in high glee. Being 
much interested in my Returns to be sent to Washington 
by the vessel now looked for, I resumed my work and 
heard no more of the alligator. He of course was only 
stunned by the hammering he had received^ but many of 
the blows I gave him would singly have killed a horse. 

One more instance of tenacity of life I will give you. 
Last August, wdiile hunting one day, accompanied by one 
of my men, I came upon an alligator's nest by the side of 
a large pond. Curious to look into it, I removed the top 
which was composed of bulrushes and mud to the height 
of four feet. Throwing off layer after layer, I found 
between each two, a layer of eggs, till on reaching the 
bottom we had thrown out between fifty and sixty. On 
opening them, they were rather larger than a goose-egg, — 
the young were found completely formed, but with the 
greater part of the yolk of the egg still attaclied to the 
umbilical cord. These eggs, with the exception of three 
which I carried to camp, were destroyed. On reaching 
my (quarters, I opened two of the eggs for more accurate 
examination. They were in the same stage of advance- 
ment as those I had destroyed. I brought together these 
two — who had, the first thing on being liberated from the 
shell, opened their tiny mouths, and snapped their jaws 
in every direction all around. As soon as they were laid 
on tlie floor, their jaws were locked together, so that I 
could with difficulty drag them asunder. After close 
examination, I thrust them >vitli my foot off the piazza. 



BY GEORGE A. McCAT.L. 207 

Th(3y fell Into loose sand, where I actually found them 
the ne;i:t day before noon, still alive and kicking. I can 
write no more at present. 



Fort Brooke, Hillsborough Bay, May 20, 1830. 

My dear Brother: — AYe are now in genuine sum- 
mer weather; hot enough, rain enough ; green-corn roasting- 
ears enough; peas, beans, all garden-produce in abundance. 
Do you not envy us a climate so genial, so productive ? 
Wild fruits are everywhere; cultivated fruits are wherever 
you will plant them and attend to them. Melons are 
already ripe ; the water-melon is unexceptionable, and you 
may have several crops in the course of the year. I believe 
I told you I had seen them on the table on Christmas-day ; 
this, however, was rather for show than because this warm- 
weather, watery, and refreshing fruit was seasonable. We 
live comfortably ; indeed, I will say pleasantly ; we have 
little military duty, while various buildings, block-houses, 
store-houses, powder-magazines, stables, and a hundred 
others are occupying the attention of the quartermaster and 
the commanding officer, and demanding the labor of all 
the enlisted men. The officers, when not engaged in these 
duties, have abundant time to hunt and fish. I have 
hunted a great deal, and I rather apprehend my letters 
have become tiresome by constantly harping upon the 
same theme. But I have little else to tell you of. The 
Indian character develops finely, at least so far as has 
come under my rather close observation. 

The Seminole is certainly a shrewd yet patient observer, 
and is wonderfully well versed, practically, in astronomy 
and meteorology : he can calculate with more than ordi- 
nary accuracy the character of the weather twenty-four or 
even forty-eight hours ahead. I was talking, through an 
interpreter, a day or two since of the weather, with an 



208 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

intelligent man, a chief of one of the central towns, Hol- 
atu-chee ; it was just after sunrise, and by accident I met 
him with the interpreter crossing the parade-ground as I 
came from inspecting my company quarters. We have 
the rainy season upon us, as I have just said, although the 
violent showers that characterized the season last year 
have not marked this. The sun had risen behind a 
heavy bank of cloud resting on the eastern horizon, and 
the clouds appeared to rise pari passu with the sun. 

I called the attention of the chief to this fact, and asked 
him if it was going to rain. He replied, " If the sun 
makes haste and rises over the cloud and leaves it behind, 
then it will be fair weather ; but if the black cloud comes up 
with him and keeps before him as it is now, until the sun 
comes here,^^ pointing to the heavens at an angle of about 
thirty degrees above the horizon, "then a sensible man 
will seek a place to -camp, and peel a i)Ine-tree to make 
him a tent." Bidding the chief adieu, I returned to my 
quarters, and, seated on the piazza, watched the progress 
of the sun and the cloud in their portentous race. In a 
little while, the sun, indeed, did get his face halfway above 
the cloud, and glared upon the earth with a dubious and 
distrustful countenance; but his triumph was short-lived; 
before he had gained the point of elevation indicated by 
the chief, he was overtaken and passed by huge masses of 
clouds rolling gradually onward, and soon after the low 
growl of distant thunder announced the approach of the 
storm ; and a most violent storm, indeed, it proved to be. 
Its prognostics, however, had been clearly understood and 
distinctly foretold by the Indian chief, although at this 
hour and at this season in this climature such storms are 
unfrequent. The rain continued to fall all that day, all 
night, and until ten A. M. the day following. As to his 
knowledge of the stars, I have on many occasions observed 
that the Indian is acquainted with the principal stars or 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 209 

constellations, such as the North star, the Pleiades, Alde- 
baran, the Belt of Orion, and so forth, to wliich he gives 
names in his own language. For instance, as I now 
recollect, while we were opening the road to Alachua, I 
was one night, after supper, sitting at my camp-fire, when 
seeing an Indian boy about fifteen years old who had 
brought venison into our camp at sunset and had asked 
permission to remain during the night pass by my 
fire, I spoke to him, and asked him to be seated by the 
fire. He complied, and while smoking my silver-bowl 
pipe, made by an Indian silversmith while at Colonel 
Humphreys' Agency on the occasion of the inauguration 
of Tuko-see-mathlaor John Hicks, I endeavored to improve 
my knowledge of the Seminole dialect. In this way I 
amused the hours till about midnight. All the fires were 
getting low, and the camp was wrapped in silence. Still 
I smoked and talked on, till the Indian youth, pointing 
to the Pleiades then in the zenith, said, ^' Hey-a-ma, Kot- 
zesumpa eparken,' ^^ Behold the six stars" — " Nochebuschee," 
^'It is time to sleep." As you know, only six of the seven 
stars of this group are visible to the naked eye, the In- 
dians designate them as " the six stars" In truth it w^as, 
as the boy said, time to be in the arms of Morpheus; so I 
bade him good night, and wrapping myself in my blankets 
on the lap of mother earth, was soon lost in sweet forget- 
ful ness. 

" But I must take you, now, 
To those pois'nous fields with rank luxuriance crown'd, 
Where the dark scorpion gathers death around ; 
AVhere at each step the stranger fears to wake 
The rattling terrors of the vengeful snake." 

I must carry you once more to Egmont Key, where I 
had rather an unpleasant encounter with a rattlesnake, 
and another still more unpleasant with a scorpion. 

But to begin at the beginning, as the man did, when he 

18* 



210 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

prefaced his story with an account of the flood^ I must 
inform you that (having nothing better to do, as I have 
hitherto intimated) I joined a party of four officers who 
proposed to pass a week, with consent of the commanding 
officer, on an expedition to cruise for pirates, from the 
mouth of Espiritu Santo along the coast as far as we 
thought it essential or agreeable ; in other words, that we 
might mingle " utile cum dulce,'' in a week's prosecution 
of our military duty, together with the finest hunting and 
fishing imaginable. The little party consisted of four 
officers. Captain Yancey in command, one sergeant, two 
corporals, and sixteen privates, all armed. We set sail 
with the good and sea-worthy little schooner, the " John 
Casey,'' a double-banked, ten-oared boat, named after its 
builder, a soldier of the regiment ; and a six-oared barge, 
in which were stowed a small seine and two fine dogs, old 
Enoch and young Die. 

The wind was fair, and we had a delightful run down 
the Bay, making our port, a well-known cove on the inner 
shore of Millet Key, in six hours. After landing a party 
to pitch tents and prepare dimier, we put out with the 
Casey and ran along the northern coast to look for pirates. 
We landed several times at points favorable to our search, 
but met with nothing indicating the presence now or here- 
tofore of man. At dark we returned. The spoils were a 
fine buck killed by Yancey. The deer here are always in 
season. This may appear to Northern men a paradox. 
It is really so in the true acceptation of the term. The 
climate, and more particularly tliat of the extremje southern 
]mrt of Florida, owing to uniform temperature, so affects 
the Common American or Virginia Deer (we have no 
other species on the Atlantic slope) as to cause it to pro- 
duce its young, not only within the limits of the spring 
months, but irregularly throughout the year. 

I have seen the fawns but a day or two old in what 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 211 

Is nnd-wliiter with you at the North, and I have also 
seen the buck killed who still wore his horns in the 
middle or last of May and the early part of June, — 
at what period after that they were cast, I am unable to 
say. However all this may be, deer are shot at all sea- 
sons, and occasionally afford good venison Avhen the right 
one is hit. The next morning at sunrise, having break- 
fasted, we divided our forces. One party was to go in the 
Casey down the coast to look for pirates, to fish, and hunt 
for turtle-eggs ; the other party was to search the small 
islands near our camp, and bring in such varieties of 
quadruped and fowl as we had not yet been made ac- 
quainted with. I preferred deer-hunting, and therefore 
did not join either of the boat parties. Accordingly, I took 
with me two men to drive the island, with the doo^s. The 
interior half of the island is hummock-land ; the exterior 
is prairie or meadow, covered with salt-grass. The deer, 
when driven from the thicket, dash out on the plain ; and 
I had the good luck to knock over two does in the course 
of the morning. The second one did not fall at the shot, 
but plunged into the hummock again and made for i\\Q 
water, followed closely by the dogs. I followed at a run, 
and when I came to the shore, I found that the dogs had 
the deer in the water about fifty or sixty yards from me. I 
at once entered the water and Avaded out breast-deep, to 
bring in the doe which was floating on the surface, while 
the dogs were mounting upon it with exulting cries of 
gladness. Just as I reached the spot and took hold of 
the deer to float it to shore, the barge came round a point 
of the island, and in a few minutes the men took it on 
board. I soon after took the dogs to camp for lunch. 
]\Iy men had previously come in with the deer first 
killed. 

Soon after my return, the Doctor, who had remained at 
the camp in the morning, came in with two fine redfish. 



212 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

One of these was soon prepared, and we sat down to a hot 
lunch fit for a king ; indeed nothing could be more deli- 
cious than a fine redfish fresh from the sea. 

After lunch, I filled my pipe with some precious tobacco 
which the Charlotte Harbor fishermen bring us from 
Havana ; and recounted to the Doctor the incidents of the 
morning, and in return learned the history of his success. 
Half an hour passed in pleasant chat, we agreed to take 
our fishing-lines and stroll up the beach. The day being 
warm, we rather idly lounged by the water-side now and 
then throwing out our lines. Before sunset we had taken 
four redfish, about as much as we would have desired to 
carry. We then bathed and returned to camp. The 
boating party soon came home, delighted with their excur- 
sion. They brought in a deer and a quantity of water- 
fowl of different kinds. A glorious dinner wound up the 
pleasures of the day. I awoke at midnight with a vio- 
lent cramp in the stomach, which the Doctor ascribed to 
my having gone into the water, while heated, in the course 
of the morning's hunt. As the pain was fearful, he gave 
me a large pill of opium. This soon relieved me, and 
then began the action of tlie drug upon the nervous sys- 
tem. I had never taken opium before, and knew nothing 
of its effects upon the nerves; but I can now very readily 
understand the fascinatino; and irresistible hold it takes 
upon the unfortunate wretch who has once too often put 
liimseif within its power. The relief from violent agony 
— the first effect — was certainly enough to make me feel 
quite happy ; but when the dreamy sense of hitherto 
unknown felicity came over my soul, I felt that I would 
not exchange that vague vision for the brightest reality I 
had ever experienced. 

By morning, however, the effects had passed away and 
I Avas well again, with the exception, perhaps, of a slight 
degree of languor. Again we divided into two parties; 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 213 

and as I was still weak, I joined the boatmen. We 
discovered a small sand-island absolutely covered with 
eggs, while clouds of birds, roused by our presence, were 
screaming overhead. There were the swift-winged Ferns, 
with their Avhite bodies, gray backs, and black heads ; the 
gulls of varied hues and tints, and all sizes ; and the 
Black-skimmer or Razor-bill, with his singular mandibles. 
Of some of these birds with which I was less acquainted 
I procured specimens. Such a sight I had never wit- 
nessed; their numbers darkened the air, their screams 
were incessant and almost deafening, for they would not 
leave the island, but kept floating overhead, in great dis- 
tress at the destruction of their eggs. 

These were promiscuously distributed over the whole 
island, which was not over one hundred yards in diameter, 
and producing only a few scattering blades of wiry grass in 
the centre. The eggs were of all sizes, from that of the 
domestic duck to that of a pigeon, and were all mixed 
together without regard to kind, and so thickly spread 
upon the sand, that Avithout great care you could not walk 
over the ground without breaking them. Some were 
examined ; they were found to be in every stage of matu- 
rity. We went to work to clear off a space some forty 
or fifty feet square, and then took leave of the gulls with 
a promise to call on the morrow for our eggs, fresh laid. 
Of several white sharks that came near our boat we rnan- 
aged to run one into shoal water ; here many shots were 
fired into him, which so reduced his speed that the bow of 
the boat was run upon him, and an axe driven into his head 
by one of the crew. Whether this put an end to the 
monster or not, I cannot say, for Avhen he was struck, his 
floundering in the shoal water stirred up the sand so as to 
render him invisible; and whether he sunk dead upon 
the bottom, or slid away, it was impossible to tell, for, 
although we hunted the space around, we saw no more of 
him. 



214 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

This day we had a very pleasant sail along the coast 
without adventure, but with much success as sportsmen. 

During the early part of the night I Avas stung by a 
scorpion, who had made his way into my bed. It seems 
that he had ensconced himself between the folds of my shirt, 
just below the collar, and as I turned over, I presume, 
rather oppressed the gentleman, and he thrust his sting 
into my neck beloAV the left ear. I sprang out of bed, 
and as I reached the fire the miscreant fell from my neck 
upon the mat in front of it, and I dispatched him. In a 
few minutes the wound swelled to a hard, distinctly-defined 
lump, as large as a hen's egg. Having knocked up the 
Doctor, he made an application of hot vinegar, from which, 
in the course of an hour or two, I obtained some relief; 
but, until near day-dawn, ^^ gentle sleep" did not deign 
to descend upon me ; indeed it was three days before the 
lump upon my neck was reduced, and my remembrance 
of my nocturnal visitor Avas altogether obliterated. 

In the morning, after breakfast, we returned to the gull 
island, and gathered at least four or five bushels of fresh 
eggs from the ground we had cleared the day before. I 
candidly confess I should not have credited the thing, had 
I not been present. On these we all feasted, boats' crews 
as well as officers, while we remained on Millet Key, and, 
I believe, some were carried home. These eggs are rich 
and at the same time very delicate; and I can assure you, 
they make delicious egg-nog, without the adjunct of milk 
or cream. But you are probably aware that gulls' eggs 
always command a high price in the markets where they 
are met with. 

To-day a deer was killed on the island near our camp, 
and a mess of redfish were caught. 

On the following morning it was decided to drive the 
Millet Key again for deer. There are rattlesnakes on this 
island, and it is not without risk that a man makes his 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 215 

way through the hummock with the dogs. We therefore 
decided not to imj^ose this duty aUogether upon our men, 
but to share with them the dangers as well as the amuse- 
ments of the sport. I accordingly took the dogs to-day, 
and bolted into the thicket. There were several miles of 
similar ground, here and there varied by an opening, and 
I had travelled about two miles when I came to one of 
these clear spaces, some tAventy yards across, without start- 
ing a deer. I had become wearied and listless, and was 
lounging along with my eyes carelessly cast upon the 
ground, when suddenly they encountered the form of a 
rattlesnake closely coiled up precisely where the next step 
would have placed my foot. Of course I came to a sudden 
halt. The snake did not spring his rattle, but he raised 
his head and his rattles at the same moment, and fixed his 
bright, cold eyes upon mine with an intensity that pene- 
trated through my head and chilled the nervous centre in 
my back-bone. 

Never did I behold anything so bright, and at the same 
time so cold, as those eyes when fixed in anger upon mine. 
For a moment I gazed in absolute wonder at the reptile, 
then, making one step backward, I raised my gun and 
blew that head, eyes, and all to atoms. Intending to take 
the rattles as a troj^hy, I drew my hunting-knife and 
straightened out the snake. He was about four feet, and 
liad twelve rattles. As he lay upon the ground stretched 
at full length, I placed the point of my knife at the point 
of junction of the rattles with the body, and by a sudden 
pressure severed them from tlie vertebrae. An instanta- 
neous contraction of the muscles folloAved, which brought 
the head of the snake with some force atraiust the back of 
my hand between the thumb and forefinger. That part of 
my hand was covered with blood, and I felt that the chances 
were about equal that one of the poison-bearing fangs had 
entered it. The idea was not an agreeable one, I assure 



216 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

you; but seizing the skirt of my plaid hunting-frock 
with the left hand, I wiped the blood clean from the right, 
and examining it closely, was greatly relieved to find that 
the skin was whole. I then pocketed my trophy, and pro- 
ceeded on the drive. In a little while a fine buck and 
two does jumped up before me. I made a snap-shot and 
brought down the buck as the does disappeared in the 
thicket. The dogs pushed them so closely that they soon 
broke cover, and both were secured by the outside party. 
We then returned with the three deer. A week Avas very 
pleasantly passed much in this way, one day diiFering 
but little from another; and all returned safely to the 
Barracks. Adieu. 



Fort Brooke, Tamp?, July, i?30. 

My dear Father : — A few days since, one of those 
tornadoes or terrible hurricanes so common in tropical 
regions, and indeed sometimes within the temperate zone, 
passed by our garrison, or rather I might say grazed it ! 
as the man said of Chimborazo, when he passed within 
forty miles of that noted peak, in his travels in Mexico. 
But in truth, I may say of this wild uproar of the winds : 

" While oft in whirls the mad tornado flies, 
Mingling the ravaged landscape with the skies." 

had its path, which was from east to west, lain one 
hundred and fifty yards further south, it would probably 
have prostrated the greater part of the buildings we have 
toiled more than a year to erect. The only damage, how- 
ever, sustained, was the carrying away of the north-east 
corner of the Hospital piazza and the south-west corner 
of the piazza around the Surgeon's quarters. The latter is 
about fifty yards from the former in a diagonal line, but 
measuring perpendicularly across the path of the hurri- 
cane, not more than thirty. Therefore, as the whole body 



BY GEORGE A. 31c CALL. 217 

of the storm passed between tliese two buildings, not mov- 
ing a sliingle or the bough of a tree on either side, the 
circle of rotated movement of the whirlwind could not 
have been more than five-and- thirty feet. 

It occurred about four o'clock, on a previously still and 
warm afternoon. I was sitting on my piazza enjoying a 
good cigar, when a strange noise from the eastward star- 
tled the air ; it was a roaring sound something so uncom- 
mon that I sprang from the piazza and ran to the right 
of the soldiers' Barracks, where I had an open view in the 
direction from which the storm came. I reached this 
ground just in time to see the tornado, a dark column, al- 
most an embodiment of atmosphere, break out of the edge 
of the pine woods about a mile distant, the intervening 
space being an open plain. I could at that distance see 
the tall pines whirled from their roots like straws. The 
dark, I might almost say tangible column of dense atmos- 
phere passed within forty yards of where I stood, yet the 
air around me was scarcely perceptibly agitated or dis- 
turbed. Its passage between the hospital and the Doc- 
tor's quarters, an open space, seemed to me at the time as 
providential. 

The next day I rode out to the pine woods through 
which the hurricane had come ; not a tree within its path 
was standing. It was as narrow as it had been in passing 
us, but the trees were lying in every direction, on top of 
each other, in the most inextricable entanglement, showing 
clearly the rotary as well as the onward motion of the 
wind. I could not trace the course of the storm by the 
uprooted trees more than half a mile ; Avhether it orig- 
inated there or not, I could not tell. Beyond, the forest 
was undisturbed. 

Such sudden and tremendous commotions in the atmos- 
phere are of course necessary to cleanse it from the impu- 
rities that arise from marshes and swamps, where the de- 
19 



218 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

composition of great masses of vegetable matter generates 
the poisons that produce disease ; but they are fearful to 
behold. 

"Why were the winds 
Let slip with such a warrant to destroy ? " 

Neither lightning nor rain accompanied this storm. 
While on this subject, I must tell you that I witnessed 
the formation and dissolution of a water-spout not many 
days before the tornado came by. I was seated with a 
book in the lookout upon the mound, about noon. The day 
was hot J and I was enjoying the air that came more cool 
and fresh at this elevation, Avhen my attention was at- 
tracted by the gathering of a cloud against the sun. I 
looked up and perceived a solitary cloud over the bay 
perhaps half a mile away, from which a funnel-shaped 
mass of vapor descended and united at its apex with a 
conical-shaped volume of water that was thrown up in 
a thin sheet, by a whirlwind which agitated the water at 
its base. The two cones, the inverted one of vapor, and 
the erect one of water, together formed the semblance of 
an hour-glass. The whole object must have been of great 
magnitude, for I saw everything very distinctly. At the 
same time, this giant thing was in motion ; and Avhat 
might have seemed a little heterodoxical, had I not fre- 
quently observed the winds here, this water-spout was 
going very nearly down the bay, while the air I was lux- 
uriating in Avas coming up the bay. The mass seemed to 
move rapidly and for a time was quite erect, but gradually 
the top began to lean forward, and in less than five min- 
utes this inclination increased until the equilibrium was 
lost, and then the water-spout exploded, and as it fell to 
the water, I could hear the splash and see the foam rise 
as the gross mass fell upon the face of the bay. 

I have now to tell you a sad tale, first prefacing it with 
the trite old apothegm of Shakspeare. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 219 

"For aught that ever I could read, 
Could ever hear by tale or history, 
The course of true love never did run smooth," 

A short time ago, one of our officers returning from 
tlie Indian Agency stopped for the night at Choko-chatee. 
He called on an old Indian and his wife, who were fre- 
quently at the garrison, and were excellent people. They 
had one child, a daughter of about sixteen, who was a 
very pretty girl. Our friend found the old people sitting 
at their camp-fire in front of their hut, or shed. Near 
them sat their dauo;hter and her lover, a handsome young 
brave, who it was understood was shortly to marry the 
girl. He was stylishly dressed ; and decorated as he was 
Avith silver head ornaments and war-paint, he was alto- 
gether a youth that few maidens would look upon with 
indifference. The Indian rose to welcome his guest ; and 
after inviting him to be seated by them, the mother called to 
the daughter and told her to prepare supper for the officer. 
But she was listening too intently to the glowing language 
of her lover, to pay immediate attention to the maternal 
command. After some time, the mother turned again and 
repeated her injunction in more decided tones. Fain 
would I absolve the fair maiden from the offence of dis- 
regarding her mother's commands, or from any disin- 
clination to wait upon her father's guest. The trial on 
her feelings at such a moment was a severe one, and still 
she loitered spell-bound at her warrior's side and drank in 
his fond converse with a willing ear. Some time after 
this, the mother rose from her seat and in harsher terms 
than should have escaped her in chiding a daughter in the 
presence of her affianced, bade her do as she was ordered. 
The girl rose and left the party without reply. The poor 
Indian, in whose untutored mind the idea existed that, 
when injured by one she loved, the greatest punish- 
ment she could inflict upon the offender was self-destruc- 



220 LETTEl^S FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

tion, liad felt herself degraded in the sight of her 
lover. Her achate sense of wounded pride had made her 
feel that he could never respect her more ; and in an 
agony of despair she hanged herself upon a young tree 
with the bead-belt that was wrapped around her head, at 
a distance of not twenty paces from the fire wliere her 
mother sat. As she did not return for some time, the 
thought flashed across the mind of the young man that 
something of the kind had happened. He sprang from 
his seat and darted like lightning into the darkness. 

He found his beloved ; but it was too late ; she was 
dead. His wail of grief speedily brought the others to 
his side. Then the wild shriek of the mother, whose 
heart reproached her with the destruction of her child, 
(the officer who was present told me,) was beyond descrip- 
tion; — it was enough to pierce a heart of stone. 

The determined purpose with which the act was com- 
mitted was wonderful. The little tree had bent with her 
weight, and she sank upon her knees ; then it was only 
by throwing her body forward with an unflinching will 
that she had succeeded in strangling herself. All these 
details I received directly from the officer himself. 

There was another instance that had previously occurred 
at this same town of Choko-chatee, of a diflerent charac- 
ter, but evincing the determined purpose of the Seminole 
mind. An Indian, named Beaver, had taken a female 
orj)han child some fifteen years ago, and reared it with a 
parent's solicitude. And now as his reward, he proposed 
to take his protegee to wife. But his hope and expecta- 
tion of bliss was brief: within a month of the time ap- 
pointed for the marriage ceremony, a young brave ran ofl* 
with his betrothed. Before two moons had passed, the 
youth imprudently brought his stolen treasure back to 
Choko-chatee. Unluckily for him, Beav^er was at home, 
and immediately made known the fact of his return to the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 221 

chief, Alligator. The latter immediately assembled his 
council. The accused was tried, found guilty, and sen- 
tenced to have the law enforced upon him. The law for 
this offence is ^^ to he flogged till senseless, and to lose his 
ears.'^ 

Alligator ordered the sentence to be carried into effect 
at once. The culprit was brought into the council-ring ; 
his body was denuded, and he was laid upon his face in 
the centre of the space around which the spectators were 
arranged ; three officials then ranged themselves on each 
side of him armed with stout hickories, and at the signal 
given by the chief, they rained upon his back such a 
shower of blows as very soon effected the requirements 
of the law. Alligator then stepped up, drew from its 
sheath his scalping-knife, and severed the upper portion 
of each ear. The youth lay there for some time (without 
any attention or restoratives being offered by those pres- 
ent) before consciousness returned. As he slowly rose 
from the ground, Alligator said to him sternly, ^^ There 
are your ears, — take them.'' The youth deliberately 
took them up, and looking round the assembly, walked 
haughtily up to Beaver, and casting them indignantly at 
his feet, told him to make "saufkee^' of them. Then 
bidding his ill-gotten wife follow him, stalked boldly out 
of the ring. This incident I had also from an eye- 
witness. 

I should explain that saufkee, the article of food which 
the youth recommended to Beaver as a suitable dish for 
himself, and to be made of those head-ornaments just 
thrown at his feet, is made usually of Indian corn or 
maize. The corn is first cracked in a wooden mortar, and 
then laid in a strong lye made from wood-ashes, where it 
remains twenty-four hours. It is then boiled, and is a 
very wholesome and palatable dish. I have often eaten 
it with a good relish. It is a pleasing sight to see four 
19* 



222 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

or six stalwart warriors sitting round a large kettle of hot 
saufkee, with but one large wooden spoon between them. 
The chief, if he be of the party, or the oldest man, — for 
great deference is paid to both rank and age, — takes the 
spoon, and with a modest and at the same time a studied 
and graceful motion of the arm, bends forward and takes 
a spoonful of this favorite viand, which, having disposed 
of, he then, with the most respectful air, hands the spoon 
to his neighbor on the left. Thus it goes round till the 
kettle is emptied. During the meal, the conversation is 
cheerful and unwearied. 



[Soon after the preceding letter was penned, the writer 
received orders from Washington, detailing him for the 
recruiting service at the North. He was thus suddenly re- 
moved from the scenes of frontier life and personal adven- 
ture, which alone in his estimation constituted the charm of 
a military life in time of peace, and which in truth enabled 
him, with any degree of contentment, to endure the dull mo- 
notony and enervating routine of garrison service. By this 
order he was carried into the busy world after several years 
passed in comparative exclusion. He was welcomed into the 
society of former friends, and allured into the gayeties of a 
city life. His duties were less irksome than those of a small 
garrison to which he had been inured. His correspondence 
was reduced to a brief inquiry after the health and welfare 
of a relative, or as brief a response to a note of similar im- 
port. A year or more passed in this way, ere he was again 
relieved from detached service of various kinds in the North 
and East, and ordered to the West, where his soul yearned to 
resume a much-loved intercourse with nature, and to partici- 
pate reasonably in the sports of the field ; and the following 
letters will contain accounts of the writer's doings in many 
and many pleasant and some exciting adventures. His sole 
object at this time is to collate from a mass of papers run- 
ning through a period of many years, and embracing Mili- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 223 

tary Reports, Official Communications, and so forth, a series 
of familiar epistles for publication, and to confine the series 
to such as delineate scenes wherein either accident, chance, 
or enterprise had made him a participant. These letters re- 
fer simply to the personal adventures of the writer as narrated 
to intimate friends, and were commonly written on the spot. 
If perchance, in those already submitted to the reader, he 
has tired or become weary at the too frequent introduction 
of the exploits of the writer himself, the latter begs leave to 
remind him of the warning given him at the threshold, where 
the author declared, as did " the Pious jEneas/' that he pro- 
posed to narrate adventures, " all of which he saw and part of 
which he ivas." 

The following letter from Major-General Gaines, command- 
ing the Western Department, appointing the writer a mem- 
ber of his military family, removed him for six years from 
the line of the Army. At the close of that period, he was 
promoted to a captaincy in his Regiment, and as the General 
at that time was required to take his aide-de-camp from the 
subalterns of the Army, the writer took leave of him with the 
heartfelt regard and affection for one whose uniform kindness 
can never be forgotten.] 

H. Q. Western Department, Jefferson Barracks, | 
Mo., April 2, 1831. j 

Aide-de-Camp George A. McCall, 
U. S. Army, Philada. 

Dear Sir: — You will find by my order of yesterday's 
date that I have announced your appointment of Aide-de- 
Camp, to act as Assistant Adjutant-General of my command. 

I had promised myself the pleasure of announcing your 
appointment while at Nashville in the last year, but I 
waited for the acceptance of the resignation of Aide-de-Camp 
Lowndes ; and when I received it, I learned that it was in- 
tended by the Department of War to oppose the appointment 
of an aide-de-camp other than that allowed to a Brigadier. 
I therefore declined appointing you until advised some days 
past of the intention of Aide-de-Camp Butler to retire from 



224 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

the Army Wishing to see you at your Staff Station 

as soon as your health will permit, I am, with great respect 
and esteem, your friend Edmund P. Gaines. 

[On receiving the foregoing letter, the writer repaired to 
Jefferson Barracks, at that time the General's headquarters, 
and found him on the eve of embarking on the steamer Cum- 
berland, for Fort Armstrong, at Rock Island (Illinois), at the 
mouth of Rock River, some two hundred miles above St. 
Louis. The boat raised steam the next day and ascended the 
Mississippi as far as the Des Moines Rapids without inter- 
ruption. Here, however, she grounded, and the Captain 
declared he could go no further ; but the General went upon 
the hurricane-deck and read the Captain a little lecture, 
which induced him to try it again, and to keep trying it, 
until at last he succeeded, with some rubbing and grinding 
of the boat's bottom, in getting her over. The Greneral, on 
arriving at Fort Armstrong, landed and took up his quarters 
with the commanding officer. Major John Bliss, of the Third 
Infantry. The aide-de-camp was also offered a room and a 
seat at the table of the Major. The garrison consisted of 
two companies of the Third Infantry. From these head- 
quarters the following letters were sent.] 

Headquarters Western Department,") 
Rock Island, 111., June i6, 1831. J 

My dear Father: — Your letter of the 5th inst. 
reached me this morning, having been forwarded from 
St. Louis by the steamboat Winnebago, bound to Galena. 
At the time that she had discharged about half her freight 
for this post (?*. e. the ordnance stores and subsistence for 
Major B.'s command), a ^^ sucker/^ as the frontier inhab- 
itants of Missouri terra their neighbors of Illinois, arrived 
express, from the Red Banks, about eighty miles below 
this, and brought a paper from the crews of two keel- 
boats (laden with merchandise of considerable value), 
soliciting of the General the protection of an escort or 
guard for their vessels as far as Rock Island. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 225 

It appears from their statement, that, while the boats lay 
one niglit at the French-Indian or Indian-French settle- 
ment, at the Des Moines Rapids, a party of Indians, 
avowedly friendly and professing to belong to Keokuk's 
party, loitered round the fire where the crews w^ere pre- 
paring their supper, and with the unconquerable perti- 
nacity peculiar to their race, pushed their inquiries in 
such a variety of shapes, that they at length gathered 
from the answers of their less subtle white brethren the 
information that they were so desirous to obtain ; viz. : that 
the boats contained, among other things, a quantity of red 
cloth, powder, whisky, &c. &c., intended for the traders 
who reside among their old enemies the Sioux. As soon 
as they had satisfied themselves on this point, they begged 
a bottle or two of whisky from their "very good frlench,^^ 
and retired to their camp to drink it. 

As soon as they retired, one of the crew, who had had a 
good deal of intercourse with Indians for many years, ex- 
pressed his fears to the others that all was not right. 
''These men,'' said he, "are evidently Sacs; but so far 
from believing them to be of Keokuk's party, I shrewdly 
suspect them of belonging to the ' British band ' " (as the 
Black-Hawk's party is called). Hereupon it was thought 
advisable to observe their motions, and the speaker volun- 
teered his services ; as soon, therefore, as their meal was 
finished, and they supposed the "fire-water " began to do 
its office, the sucker (for it was the same to whom I have 
already given the appellation common to the natives of 
Illinois) departed for the purpose of reconnoitring the 
supposed hostile camp. 

He found the Indians already under the influence of 
the liquor they had drunk, and cautiously approaching 
their fire, the first words that saluted his ear (for he un- 
derstood the language well) convinced him that his first 

P 



226 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

impression with regard to their character, was but too 
well-founded. 

The party consisted of four, one of whom, a brave of 
some distinction, was addressing the others to this effect : 
^' My brothers," said he, " the braves of the pale-faces are 
at this moment surrounding our homes ; their watch-fires 
illuminate the forests of our ancestors ; their great guns 
are pointed, their long knives are bared, and they only 
wait for the arrival of their horsemen, to drive us from 
the homes, the fair fields, and the graves of our fore- 
fathers.'' He paused, and a long, shrill, and melan- 
choly war-whoop from his companions was the reply. — 
" These boats of the pale-faces," he continued, " are going 
to our old enemies the Sioux, who fourteen moons past, 
under the pretence of offering the jjijje of friendship to 
our tribe, faithlessly attacked our unarmed chief, and im- 
molated him with all his family ! — Answer me, my 
brothers ! Shall the treasures of the pale-faces reach their 
destination?" — A fierce and shrilling shout was the only 
answer to this question, but it too plainly indicated to the 
sucker the savage eagerness of the Indian and his friends 
to seize upon their prey, to require interpretation. The 
plan was soon arranged by the Indians. One of the party 
was to set out in the morning, to get a reinforcement, 
while the others Avere to hover about the boats as they 
slowly toiled against the current of the Mississippi, and 
observe their motion until they reached a certain point 
(about forty miles below this), where a strong party of the 
Black-Hawk band was to await their coming, and where, 
surprising the unsuspecting crews in the night, their rich 
cargoes should fall an easy prey to the victors. This being 
settled, the leader raised the bottle from the ground, and 
scanning its contents with an eagle eye as he held it to the 
firelight, carried it to his mouth. The scout did not wait 
to see the flask make its round, but hurried to his friends 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 227 

with an account of what he had overheard. Some of the 
party were in favor of proceeding at once and making 
the best of their time ; others were for returning ; but the 
scout assured them they were in no danger at present, and 
had nothing to fear before they reached tlie point desig- 
nated by the Indians, unless they should awaken their sus- 
picions by a precipitous movement, at the same time 
advising them to pursue their course as if nothing had hap- 
pened, until they reached the Red Bank, where there is a 
considerable settlement, and where they might remain in 
safety until a convoy could be procured from Rock Island, 
which he volunteered to go from that place in quest of. 
His advice was followed ; and here he is having just put 
me in possession of the facts nearly as I have given them 
to you. 

As these boats have on board some ammunition essen- 
tial to the perfect efficiency of the troops, the General has 
engaged the captain of the Winnebago to return for them. 
A company will be put on board, and the General Avill 
avail himself of the opportunity to examine more closely 
the country about the mouth of Rock River, by the ^^ Great 

cut-off:' 

We shall go on board as soon as the steamboat has dis- 
charged its freight, which I think will be about midnight; 
and if I can find time to-morrow, I will give you a sketch 
of our history since we left St. Louis. 



Hd. Qrs Western Department. On board Steamer Winnebago. "> 
Near the Red Banks, June 17, 1831. j 

My dear Father: — About midnis^ht we g-ot on 
board, and soon after were under a press of steam moving 
down the bright current of the father of waters ; the moon 
was at the full and the night beautiful; the mild prairies 



228 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

on our right smiling in the soft moonlight, were finely 
contrasted with the dark and frowning woodland that 
overhung and shaded the water on our left. The air was 
redolent with the rich offering of a thousand prairie- 
ilowers, and love and poetry as they accepted the offering 
pronounced the hour to be their own. 

The boat was filled with passengers for Galena, among 
whom were (and are, for they are still with us) four ladies. 
The berths were all filled, so that I had full time to con- 
template the scene alone upon the hurricane-deck. 

Having been at work all day, I at length lay down in 
my cloak and slept for an hour ; but was again up at four 
o'clock preparing a dispatch for the Governor of Illinois 
— which we sent off about breakfast-time. I also sent a 
letter addressed to yourself, which I trust will reach its 
destination. 

Now for Indian affairs. The day after our arrival at 
Fort Armstrong, Black-Hawk, with his principal braves, 
met the General in council. They approached the council- 
house, bounding from the earth and whooping, in all the 
extravagance of the war-dance. We observed too that 
they were much more completely armed than is usual on 
such occasions; and many of them, indeed, had their bows 
bent, so unequivocal an indication of their hostile feeling, 
that it was thought proper privately to increase the guard 
and keep the whole command under arms, for which pur- 
pose the usual drill afforded a sufficient pretext. And I 
observed during the session of the council, some of the old 
traders were evidently uneasy and constantly on the qui 
vlve, and they afterwards told me that never before at a 
similar scene did they see so strong a demonstration of 
hostility as on this occasion. 

The General opened the business by telling the Sacs, 
who were seated on the left of the friendly party of Foxes, 
under Keokuk, that he had called their chiefs and braves 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 229 

together for the purpose of conferring with tliem on the 
subject of the outrages that had been committed by a part 
of the tribe, in the vicinity of Rock Island, during the 
past spring, and he desired to have a candid and a true talk. 
He called to their minds, the articles of the treaty entered 
into between the United States, themselves, and the Foxes, 
twenty-seven years ago, which was renewed sixteen years 
ago, and again six years since, when they finally relin- 
quished to the Government of the United States all their 
lands east of the Mississippi River. 

He also reminded them that, although they were pro- 
fessedly the British band, and had never been well-dis- 
posed towards us, still their great father, the President, 
had permitted them to remain, year after year, and culti- 
vate the land they had sold, and from which they had 
not l^een removed, merely because the frontier was still 
thinly populated, and there was no immediate call for the 
land ; and told them their failing to fulfil the terms of 
the treaty had been ascribed to their ignorance of the pro- 
priety of their immediate removal, rather than to any dis- 
position to quibble or prevaricate, or, on a future day, to 
deny the sale of the land ; but that, since the country 
had begun to be settled, difficulties were constantly 
occurring between the white inhabitants and themselves, 
and their great father was now convinced of the im- 
possibility of continuing on friendly terms while they 
remained on this side the river. That the laws of his 
country and his oath of office required the President of 
the United States to see justice done to all parties, and 
that the numerous complaints of the whites called on 
him to require of the Sacs a fulfilment of the terms of 
the treaty. It was therefore necessary that they should 
without delay cross the Mississippi; that they would 
there find a rich and beautiful country abounding in game, 
20 



230 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

in which they might subsist without labor, and where they 
might reside peacefully and undisturbed. 

"The Jumping Fish^^ (the hereditary chieftain) replied*. 
" My braves have heard what you have said, but they 
know not what sales or bargains you speak of; yet, if the 
Great Spirit is with your people, I do not think they would 
intentionally write down falsehoods at a council, while 
their red brethren speak what comes from the heart. 

" Some time ago I sold a part of our land to obtain the 
release of a captive brave, but neither I, nor my braves, 
know of any sale of all our lands east of the Mississippi 
River. I am a red-skin and do not use paper at a talk, 
but what is said is impressed on my heart, and I do not 
forget it." 

After a part of the first treaty had been read to them 
and the chiefs Avho had signed it named, &c., &c., and some 
other remarks had been made, the Black-Hawk rose and 
said, — 

*'Our braves are unanimous in their desire to remain in 
their old fields ; they wish to harvest their corn and will 
do so peaceably ; they have no evil at heart ; but the 
Great Spirit having given the land to their forefathers as a 
home, they are unwilling to leave it." 

The General told him his great chief had sold the land, 
and they no longer had a right to occupy it, and that go 
they must. '^ Who is the Black-Hawk that he should 
assume the right of dictating to his tribe?" said the Gen- 
eral. "I know him not — he is no chief; — who is he? 
that he should take upon himself to speak for his 
tribe?" The old Hawk, who is upwards of seventy, was 
very much cut down by this, and took his seat quite mor- 
tified ; but after a little he rose and, with infinite dignity 
and energy of manner addressing the General, said, — 

" You have asked who is the Black-Hawk ? Know 
that I am a Sac. My fathers were gi'cat men ; they have 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 231 

left their bones in our fields, and there I will remain and 
leave my bones with theirs." 

The General told them to think of it till morning, and 
after they had slept on it to let him know their decision. 

They were then dismissed, and they retired with the 
same surly defiance depicted in their countenances, which 
had been remarkable in their demeanor throughout the 
morning 

Early the next morning Keokuk with the friendly party 
called on the General. He said, " that he had listened 
with deep interest, to the tiilk of the day before; that he 
had been with the Sacs all nio^ht endeavorino; to induce 
his personal friends to withdraw from the British band; 
and that he had succeeded in gaining twelve large lodges 
(near fifty families); and he wished the General would 
abstain from the use of force until he got all his relatives 
and friends across the Mississippi, for he was resolved ' to 
pull at them until he got over all that would come."^ 

He appeared to feel acutely for the Black-Hawk's party, 
and said they had planted corn on the Rock River lands ; 
and as it was now too late in the season to prepare new 
fields, they must suffer if they were deprived of their har- 
vest. Keokuk is a perfect Apollo in figure, and is one of 
the most graceful and eloquent speakers I have seen among 
the Indians of any tribe. The General approved his con- 
duct, and highly commended him, and told him he should 
have time to continue his exertions, and that those who 
moved should be furnished with as mnch corn as they 
could have raised ; but that go they must in a very few 
days. His party then returned to the camp opposite the 
fort, where they had hoisted a large white flag. 

Two days afterwards, the Black-Hawk again appeared, 
and was on this occasion accompanied by several of the 
women of his tribe, — a circumstance of rare occurrence on 
occasions like the present. He commenced by saying, — 



232 LETTEFS FROM THE FRONTIEBS, 

'' The Great Spirit made all men, the Red and the White: 
the Great Spirit placed my people where they now live. 
Our women have worked the fields till they have become 
easy of culture, and they have come to tell you they will 
not leave them. Know then, that they have decided not 
to move. The Great Spirit," he continued, " never di- 
rected that these lands should be sold; and if any chief 
sold them, he did that which was not sanctioned by his 
people/' 

An ill-looking woman now rose, and said she was the 
daughter of the old chief, who, it was said, had sold the 
lands, and that she knew no sale had been made, etc. 

The General told them they had frequently been re- 
minded of the treaty which was public, and that it was 
now unnecessary to say anything further on the subject; 
that the time had come when it was necessary to act ; that 
he would give them three days to move, and that, if they 
did not move in that time, they would be driven across the 
river. 

They then departed. 

In these talks I have given you substantially what was 
said, though without particular reference to my Notes 
which I took for the War Department. 

During the interval between the first talk and the last, 
the agent for the Fox Indians, a man of some influence, 
and personally acquainted with the principal men of the 
British Band, had visited their village twice, and used 
every argument to persuade them to move voluntarily, 
but without success. They always denied any knowledge 
of the sale of the land in question, and very decidedly 
expressed their determination to remain inhabitants of 
their present town, and cultivate their old fields, and lay 
their bones in them. 

The General is of course desirous to remove them, if 
possible, without bloodshed, and on that account gave 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 233 

them three days to effect the movement, in hopes that in 
the interim they would see the folly of their decision. 

They say that they wish to be at peace; that they will 
not fight if attacked ; but that they are as firmly resolved 
to remain and lay their bones beside those of their an- 
cestors. 

This is of course Indian talk. The Sacs are perhaps the 
most warlike, and the fiercest as well as most determined 
Indians in our country, as their conduct during the last 
war exemplified. Some of them were killed at the very 
cannon's mouth ; and if they could now raise sufficient 
force to make a successful stand, and take a number of 
scalps before they cross the river, (which they well enough 
know they must do,) they would delight in seizing any 
opportunity that would afford them revenge ; — but they 
are fortunately so well acquainted with what would be the 
consequence to themselves to think of such a thing for 
one moment, and their only object, I am of opinion, is to 
extort further annuities or presents from the Government. 

The General has called for me on the hurricane-deck to 
take notes of the country, and make a topographical sketch 
of this ^' slouo:h.'' Adieu. 



Hd. Qrs. Western Department. On board the Winnebago. ) 
June 19, 1831. ' 

My dear Father : — For two days I have been on 
the hurricane-deck of the boat, many hours at a time, 
taking notes and sketches of the country east of the 
" slough," Avhich we have been navigating ever since our 
return from the " Red Bank,'' with the two keel-boats 
before mentioned, which were placed in safety under the 
guns of the fort. 

As we put the crew of the boat and the passengers 
under the semblance of martial law, three of the four 
20* 



234 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

ladies, soon tired of the noise of the new-made soldiers, 
and took refuge in the fort with the more orderly regulars ; 

but the fourth, Mrs. S , a fine-looking young woman, 

the daughter of Judge D , of Arkansas, was too much 

of the heroine to desert her post ; and remained, as she 
told me, to see that her better half did his duty towards 
his country. This better half, however, is far from being 
a moiety of " the one flesh " : he is near double her age, 
a sot, and never leaves the card-table till he is carried by 
the Avaiter to bed. She is pretty, as I told you, and being 
full of life, I discourse with her by the hour when I am 
not on deck ; and as the General and I have now half of 
the ladies' cabin, I of course see her frequently. 

We shall continue to cruise in these waters, observing 
the motions of the red-skins, till the arrival of the Gov- 
ernor with some hundreds of mounted militia ; he is ex- 
pected on the 21st instant. 

As the Black-Hawk declined to move, and we learned 
from good authority they would be joined by the Prophet's 
band of Winnebagos and Kickapoos, to the amount of 
some hundreds, — I know not how many, for they of course 
lie perdu, and no man can calculate the strength of an 
Indian war-party till he sees them in the field, — at least 
under the present circumstances. This, as I observed, 
being the case, the General determined not to strike a blow 
until he could array such a force as would make resistance 
hopeless ; for though it would be easy enough to drive them 
from their present position across the river, yet without a 
large body of mounted men it would be impossible to pro- 
tect this extensive frontier settlement from their ravages, 
in case they should recross either above or below for the 
purpose of revenge. I counted, the other day, a hundred 
and twenty canoes in front of the friendly town, in one 
mass, besides numbers in every direction, — at least half of 
which ]n-obably belong to the British band and their 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 235 

allies, — numbers of whom, I have no doubt, have sought 
the sanctuary of the white flag, under which they will lie 
at their ease until they see how the scale turns; for the 
^'f7'{endl}/'' party (so called) is, I believe, at most but 
neutral. 

But I have no doubt that when a sufficient force is 
brought to bear upon them, they will still without hesita- 
tion sign the articles of agreement, and quietly relinquish 
their lands. 



June 23. 

Here we have been threading this slough twice a day 
for a week, and no Governor arrived yet. The high state 
of the waters which cross his line of march have doubt- 
less been a greater obstacle to the celerity of his Excel- 
lency^s movements, than any he had anticipated would be 
opposed to him. I am wearied with the sameness of tlie 
scene, for as he has been expected daily and almost hourly 
for some days past, we have visited the point of concen- 
tration regularly with a supply of ammunition and pro- 
vision, both of which he stands in need of. We have 
examined Rock River as high up as the town, and found 
the channel good; the town is prettily situated and has 
some fine land adjacent to it, all of which is finely com- 
manded by some heights upon its left. As we passed the 
towm we observed a number of horses picketed and at 
large, but saw no inhabitants but a few old women and 
cliildren. The ravines in rear of the town, which are 
both long and numerous, and moreover thickly clad with 
underbrush, w^ould aflPord a covering for an immense 
number of Indian warriors, but still could be swept in a 
few minutes by some pieces of artillery on the heiglits 
above mentioned. Our lady still remains with us, noth- 
ing daunted by the warlike preparations she sees around 
her ; but she has too nuich sense and has seen too muc;h 



236 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

of the Indian character in her own country to be alarmed 
at outward appearances. I collect her bouquets of prai- 
rie-flowers daily, and we discuss their beauties with great 
apparent interest ; indeed the colors and delicacy of some 
of these are truly exquisite, though they have little fra- 
grance. The weather for some days has been charming, 
and nothing can be more brilliant than the nights. We 
sleep under the guns of the Fort ; and the other night, 
returning later than usual, we discovered at some distance 
a canoe apparently floating with the stream ; but suspect- 
ins; that it contained some red-skins, the General ordered 
the pilot to steer for it : the steamboat accordingly changed 
her course and began to plough the waves in the direction 
of the object, which, gliding along in the shade of the 
woody bank, would, to an inexperienced eye, have passed 
for one of the numerous pieces of floating timber which 
are at this season borne seaward on the bosom of the 
mighty Mississippi. It was as we had anticipated ; but 
the courage of the midnight wanderers was constant and 
true to their purpose : they lay perfectly concealed in 
their shell of a boat until another revolution or two of 
the wheels of the Winnebago would have brought her 
upon them, and buried them and their canoe in the tur- 
moil of Avaters that burst and parted beneath her angry 
prow ; but then, as it were by magic, five forms simultane- 
ously appeared above the low sides of the hollow trunk, 
and one simultaneous sweep of five light paddles darted 
the canoe like an arrow to the shore, where, leaving it to 
the guidance of the current, they sprung on land and in- 
stantly disappeared in the thicket. As we were running 
close to the shore and parallel to it, we passed within a 
few yards of them as they vanished from our sight, but 
as the object was not to injure them (which from their 
boldness they were probably aware of), they were permit- 
ted to escape unhurt. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL, 237 

July I. 

On the 29th ultimo the Governor arrived with fifteen 
hundred mounted men, under command of General Dun- 
can ; and took up his quarters with us on board the Win- 
nebago. Having accompanied the militia of his State, 
merely with a view of inspiring them by his presence and 
participation in the toils and privations of the campaign 
with a portion of his own patriotic feelings, the Governor 
took no active command ; but rumor, ever busy with the 
actions of the Great, imputed his military ardor to no 
other incitive than the promised advancement of his own 
politic views. On the evening of the 28th, an advanced 
company of the Spies (a regiment, under that title, com- 
manded by Brig. Gen. Whitcsides) reached the blufp, where 
the militia were ordered to unite with us, and notified the 
General of the approach of the command. They had 
encamped about ten miles to the south-east of our position, 
and the next morning soon after sunrise we discovered 
the heads of their columns upon the summit of a distant 
hill, which rose gradually and regularly from the river- 
bank. Of this part of the country, which is beautiful, 
rolling prairie, the upper or, as it is called, hurricane- 
deck of the Winnebago commanded a perfect view ; and 
as they advanced in four columns directly in front of us, 
and marched slowly down the sloping plain, I thought 
I looked upon one of the prettiest pictures of the kind 
ever presented to my view. The General directed me to 
meet them and invite the Governor, with Gen. Duncan 
and his staff, to breakfast with us on board. On reaching 
the head of the left centre column, Avhich had now halted 
on a spacious level, I inquired for the Commander-in- 
Chief, and was informed I should find him about the cen- 
tre of that column; and having proceeded thither, I soon 
discovered a small knot of better than ordinarily mounted 



238 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

men, whom I rightly conjectured to be the persons I 
sought. 

Having welcomed the General in the name of General 
Gaines, I inquired for the Governor, and was conducted by 
General Duncan towards a vehicle, which, had I met it else- 
where, I should have taken for a Jersey fish-cart; but which^ 
from its situation and position in the column, I now set 
down in my mind for an ammunition caisson. Approaching 
it, however, the General raised a leather curtain, — for with 
these sable barriers was the stronghold defended on all 
sides against the weather, — and there, Jupiter tonans ! 
there lay his linsey-woolsey Excellency, coiled upon a 
truss of tarnished straw. By preventing an apoplexy of 
admiration, with which I was at that moment attacked, 
from gaining vent in an uncourtly cachinnation, I had like 
to have died ; but I bowed me to the earth in token of 
respect, and in so doing recovered sufficiently to deliver 
my message. The invitation was declined, because, as his 
Excellency said, he had had for three days ^' the chills and 
fever." I persuaded him, however, on that account to 
take a state-room on board the boat, as he would then be 
able to contend with his malady on a fairer footing, and 
finally prevailed upon him to do so. 

As we had a pretty substantial breakfast, I had the 
satisfaction of seeing our guests, who had been on plain 
allowance for some time, do ample justice to our steamboat 
fare; but this is a subject I will not descant upon, as I am 
myself, especially after being on horseback an hour or 
two before day, apt enough to be seduced, by the alluring 
savor of beefsteaks and collops, far beyond the pale of 
classic epicurism. 

The whole day was absolutely necessary for the issuing 
of ammunition, the cleaning of arms, and finally putting 
the men in efiective fighting order after tlie fatigues of 
the march. But the next morning's sun, which rose lurid 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 239 

and threatening, saw our columns on the march towards 
the Sac village. The United States Infantry of the 1st 
and 6th Regiments debouched from Fort Armstrong, 
and crossing the narrow channel to the mainland, moved 
down upon the village, which is about four miles from the 
fort, in two columns, supported by one company of artil- 
lery; while the mounted men under General Duncan 
advanced in the opposite direction. As the latter were 
obliged to ford Rock River immediately above the village, 
the Winnebago, with one company of artillery on board, 
proceeded up the river to cover their passage. The com- 
panies arrived simultaneously at the designated points, 
and the artillery having taken possession of the heights 
on the right of the village, a few shots were fired through 
the ravines and the brushwood on the island, over which 
the trace to the ford passed, and the head of the column 
of militia entered the river. Some troops of the spies 
having effected their passage, the General landed, and 
having thrown out some light infantry, mounted and 
began to reconnoitre more minutely than he had hitherto 
done the ground about the village. I knew that the posi- 
tion of the Indians was a strong one, but I now saw that 
it was much more tenable than I had even imagined ; and 
had they been disposed to maintain it, it would have given 
us some trouble to dislodge them ; but they had, as soon as 
they saw their fate was inevitable, and that they were, poor 
fellows, doomed to quit forever their much loved homes, 
wisely decided to abandon their village. This, however, 
was not concluded until they saw from our preparations 
that they could trifle no longer with impunity. They had 
remained in their village until just before day on the 
morning of our entrance ; when, collecting their canoes, a 
greater part of them crossed to the western shore of the 
Mississippi ; and some indeed had clung to their miserable 
dwellings until within a short time of our arrival, as we 



240 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

discovered by the fresh tracks on the trace leading to the 
Winnebago Prophet's town some distance up the river. 

Of course they were not pursued, — as the object now, 
that they were driven from their old haunts, and saw that 
we had a sufficient mounted force to protect the frontier, 
was to let them quietly settle on the lands appropriated to 
them, and then call the chiefs to a council for the purpose 
of renewing the treaty, and securing their pledges to pre- 
serve order and quiet among their followers. 

Soon after our arrival on the ground, it commenced 
raining, and poured in torrents till nightfall. 

I am called oH' and must close my letter. Adieu. 



Hd. Q_rs. Western Department. On board the Steamer WiNNEnAGO. "» 

Julys, 1831. i 

My dear Father : — Keokuk, who has talent with 
great shrewdness, and is Avithal an eloquent speaker, has 
been unremitting in his efforts to move the hearts of the 
people of the British or Black-Hawk band to yield grace- 
fully, or at least appear to acquiesce in what must at last 
prove to be inevitable. In truth, the difficulty has been 
in bringing about, not a conviction that their country w^as 
inevitably wrested from them, (for that was apparent to 
the most obtuse,) but to overcome a determination to die 
rather than relinquish the land of their birth and the 
graves of their ancestors. Keokuk accomplished the latter 
j)oint, — the former required no prompting. 

The artful negotiator called on the General two days 
ago in all the finery of official dress, conspicuous in which 
was a necklace of the formidable claws of the Grizzly Bear, 
(which, by the by, it is whispered he procured with ^^ the 
silver huUet ; ^' but Keokuk is nevertheless acknowledged 
to be a brave and able leader on the war-path, as well as 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 241 

a wise man in council ;) and in a grandiloquent speech re- 
ported the success of his mission ; and that Black-Hawk 
would come in the next day and renew the treaty, relin- 
quishing the territory latterly in dispute. 

At the appointed time, Black-Hawk appeared, accom- 
panied by ^'The Jiimj)ing Fwh/' the legitimate chief, who 
was by hereditary right, so far as that was acknowledged, 
and for the rest by election, the head and front of the 
Band ; but whose negative character gave way before the 
bold and active promptings of his prime minister, Black- 
Hawk. There were in attendance about fifty sub-chiefs 
and distinguished warriors, but all on this occasion were 
unarmed. 

All being seated in due form, the treaty, which in the 
interval I had been ordered to draw up, I, by direction 
of the General, now read sentence after sentence, as it was 
translated by the interpreter. Saint Clare, a half-blood 
French Indian. This being accomplished, and the pur- 
port of the treaty being acknowledged as understood and 
agreed to by The Juinjjinc/ Fish, I called up Black-Hawk 
to affix, in his official character as prime minister, his 
sign-manual to the paper. He arose slowly, and with 
great dignity, while in the expression of his fine face there 
was a deep-seated grief and humiliation that no one could 
witness unmoved. The sound of his heel upon the floor 
as he strode majestically forward was measured and dis- 
tinct. AVlien he reached the table where I sat, I handed 
him a pen, and pointed to the place wdiere he was to affix 
the mark that would sunder the tie he held most dear on 
earth. He took the pen — made a large, bold cross with a 
force which rendered that j^en forever unfit for furtlier use ; 
then returning it politely, he turned short upon his heel, 
and resumed his seat In the manner he had left it. It was 
an imposing ceremony, and scarcely a breath was drawn by 
any one present during its passage. Thus ended the scene — 
21 Q 



242 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

one of the most impressive of the kind I ever looked upon. 
And with it terminated the duty which had led General 
Gaines to visit Fort Armstrong. I must not omit to men- 
tion that during our stay here the General had our horses* 
put on board a boat, in which we crossed the river; — we 
ascended a steep bluff, and on attaining its summit, there 
was laid open to our view a boundless, rolling prairie, the 
first I had ever laid eyes upon. We rode out upon it 
some distance. I was greatly exhilarated, and proposed 
to the General to breathe our horses ; to this he responded 
by putting spurs to his charger, and bounded off like a 
boy. I at once discovered that the old gentleman was a 
fine horseman and a bold rider. After a pleasant ride we 
returned, — both, I believe, much refreshed and benefited 
after being shut up on the steamer. 

It is late at night, and I must close my letter. Adieu. 



Jefferson Barracks, July 12, 183 1. 

My dear Father: — When the Black-Hawk cam- 
paign had terminated, the General returned to his head- 
quarters ; and after a short detention here, set out, accom- 
panied by his Acting Aide-de-Camp M. L. Clark, on a 
tour of inspection to the military posts in Louisiana. 

I have nothing of interest from him to offer you. In 
haste. 

[The following was indorsed on the corner of a package 
of letters written by the General to General Atkinson and 
other commanders, on the subject of the obligations of the Gov- 
ernment in its relations to the Indian tribes on our frontier, 
dated New Orleans, August 10, 1831.] 

To Aide-de-Camp McCall, Jefferson Barracks: — 

Mr. McCall will read and retain copies of the enclosed, 
and then seal and send them to General Atkinson. Mr. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 243 

McCall's letters have been more than satisfactory, and they 
have merited a much better response than I have hitherto 
been able to give them. His friend, 

E. P. Gaines. 



Jefferson Barracks, August 14, 1831 

Dear General : — I have the honor to acknowledge 
the receipt of your letter of the 6th instant, (which reached 
me last evening,) and to inform you that the commands 
with which you favored me have been executed. 

Since my letter of the 9th, relative to the recent move- 
ment of the Sacs and Foxes, a sub-agent has arrived from 
the scene of the massacre perpetrated upon the unfortu- 
nate Menomonies, and has brought more particular ac- 
counts of the deed, the details of which are calculated to 
excite the extremest loathsomeness. They will be found 
in the papers accompanying General Atkinson's letter, 
which I enclose herewith. 

The General and his family start for the Springs in the 
morning, where they purpose passing some days, and 
where I shall endeavor to join them the day after to- 
morrow. 



Jefferson Barracks, August 18, 1831. 

Dear General: — By this day's mail I received a 
letter from Colonel Morgan, 1st Infantry, requesting, &c., 
&c.; as I do not feel authorized to act in this case without 
instructions, I must beg the favor of your views on the 
subject, that I may act in accordance with your wishes. 

Much to my surprise, the mail of the 16th instant brought 
to my hands the package of letters which was dispatched 
per Colonel Strode, (the aide of Governor R,.,) while we lay 
at the Yellow Banks, Mo., in June last. The package 
was destined to Lieutenant Clark, (who at the time was 
in this office,) and contained your letter of the 17th of June 



244 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

to the Adjutant-General, enclosing the memoranda of the 
^Hal]:s^' with the Sac and Fox Indians, with other papers 
relating thereto. 

I have forwarded them to the Adjutant-General's office 
with the necessary remarks; but I am unable to account 
for the delay, or to say to whom reprehension is due for 
their detention. Among other papers was the letter which 
was handed to you to be forwarded to Mrs. D., of W., Mis- 
souri. I have sent it to Colonel C., whom you requested 
to deliver it, as it contained money ; I shall not feel satis- 
fied till I hear that it has been received. 

Herewith I have the honor to enclose a list or roll of 
the officers stationed at the several posts south of the 
Arkansas, as requested. Also, &c., &c., &c. 



Jefferson Barracks, August 28, 1831. 

Dear Geneeal: — I have the honor to acknowledge 
the receipt of your instructions dated the 12th inst., which 
have been complied with. I enclose herewith copies of 
" Special Orders,'' Nos. 55, 56, and 57, which I have this 
day issued. I have called for reports of expenses incurred 
in the course of the late movements of the United States 
troops and militia on the Illinois frontier, by the Quar- 
termaster's, Ordnance, and Subsistence Departments, which 
I will forward so soon as they are received from the sev- 
eral officers in charge of those departments. 

It is with feelings of the deepest sorrow that T take 
upon myself the task of imparting to you the particulars 
of the meeting which took place on the 26th inst., between 
your friend. Major Biddle, and Mr. Pettis, which, it is 
greatly to be feared, will prove fatal to the former, as it 
has already to the latter gentleman. 

Major Biddle was attended on the ground by General 
Ashley and Major O'Fallen, besides his medical friends. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 245 

The parties exchanged shots at the distance of five feet, 
when they both fell, Major Biddle dangerously wounded, 
and his adversary mortally. The Major received the ball 
of the other just above the hip, where it is supposed to 
have lodged, but has as yet baffled the skill of his sur- 
geon to find it. During the first night his life was 
thought to be in much danger, but last evening the sur- 
geon expressed hopes that a favorable change was about 
to take place; and a man who has just returned from the 
city brings accounts which lead to the belief that their 
opinion was not unfounded. 

I trust in another day I shall be able to give you still 
more favorable accounts. I am. General, &c. 



AssT. Adjt. -General's Office, West. Dept. ] 
Jefferson Barracks, August 29, 1831. j 

Dear General: — Captain Pike of the Rock Island 
Volunteers has this moment arrived by express from Fort 
Armstrong, bringing letters from Captain Loomis, com- 
manding Fort Crawford, and the Indian Agent at Prairie 
du Chien, stating that a war-})arty of Sac Indians, ac- 
companied by some of their allies, the Foxes, on the 30th 
ult., surj^rised an encampment of Menomonies, within a 
few hundred yards of old Fort Crawford, and having 
killed twenty-five of tlieir number, succeeded in regaining 
their canoes before the alarm was given, and descended 
the river unmolested. The particulars of this outrage 
will be fully developed to you by the enclosed letters. 

I have communicated the intelligence to General Atkin- 
son, who informs me that he has also received from Cap- 
tain Loomis a report of the '^ affair,'^ but says that he does 
not feel authorized to order any movement of troops to 
that quarter without express instructions from the De- 
partment. 
21 * 



246 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Colonel Morgan has not yet returned from Louisville, 
and until Major Bliss reaches Fort Armstrong, (whither 
he proceeds to-morrow,) there will be no field-officer with 
the 1st Infantry. The express informs me that the morn- 
ing he left Fort Armstrong, one of Keokuk's band re- 
ported to the commanding officer, that a party of Win- 
nebagoes, under the "Prophet," had joined the Sacs, with 
the purpose of proceeding against the Menomonies, but 
implicit confidence is not to be placed in the report. 

I have nothing further to offer you worthy of your 
attention, but I will immediately inform you of anything 
that reaches me by whatever channel, of the movements 
of the Indians, or the settlers on the upper Mississippi. 

Pray accept for yourself. General, and for your family 
the best wishes of Yours, &c. 

G. A. McC. 
To Major- General E. P. Gaines, commanding 

West Dejyart U. S. Army, Jackson, Miss. 



Jeff. Barracks, August 30, 1831. 

Deah General : — I trust you will impute to me so 
warm an interest in all that concerns you, as to believe 
that the account (for which I must thank you) of your 
safe arrival at Nashville afforded me much pleasure, which 
was enhanced by the knowledge that you found your 
friends all well. Since my letter of the 9th inst., nothing 
further has been received from Fort Crawford. 

I have the honor to transmit herewith sundry commu- 
nications which have reached me within the last three 
days, concerning which I would beg leave to request your 
instructions. 

Owing to a press of business at one time and unseason- 
able weather at another, I have not been able to visit the 
Sulphur Springs as you recommended ; but I shall take 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 247 

an early opportunity of doing so, when I shall have it in 
my power to give you some information respecting the 
character of the waters and their beneficial effects. 

I am, General, &c. 



' Headq_uarters Western Department, i 

Nashville, Tenn., Sept 6, 1831. > 

My dear McCall : — Your letters of the 26th ult., with 
their enclosures, are received and your measures approved. 

The receipt given by Brigade Quartermaster Thomas to 
Major Bliss, for ordnance stores, and to which I have sub- 
joined my approval, is returned herewith. 

I very much regret that any misunderstanding should have 
taken place between Colonel Morgan and myself on the sub- 
ject of my order of the 3d of last month, pardoning offenders 
of his regiment, as I am satisfied of the correctness of his 
habits and memory, and have great respect for his opinions. 
But I certainly understood him as having sustained me in 
the views embraced in my order upon that occasion ; although 
I well recollect his opposition to the exercise of the pardon- 
ing power generally. Let him know my views upon this 
matter. My order is of a nature which will not admit of 
change. If, therefore, the order (No. 29 of 1831) purports 
to extend to all the ofienders of the regiments referred to, and 
consequently to William Roberts of the First, his commanding 
ofiicer must be reminded by you of the pardon of Roberts, 
otherwise you will send an order pardoning him. 

Let Lieutenant Stockton be furloughed, as requested. 

On the subject of ^^Intemperance,'' I have to remark, that 
a soldier should never be discharged by reason of this vice, 
even if his drunkenness is habitual^ lest others too willingly 
fall into that vice, in order thereby to win the privilege of a 
discharge ; they should, on the contrary, be put on bread and 
water, and have the benefit of a rigid course of discipline 
calculated to cure, if possible, their darling vice. See Mr. 
Clark's letter written by my order to Colonel Clinch, in April 
or May last. 



248 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Let Lieutenant Miller be furloiighed for the benefit of his 
health for two months. I hope to meet him on my return in 
the Western District of this State, or Jefferson Barracks ; — 
say so to him. 

I thank you for your attention to my Letter and Order Book. 
Let them remain in the office until otherwise desired. I wish 
them to contain only such letters and orders as refer to some 
principle of military law to which I have paid particular 
attention ; or some matter which may seem to require my 
attention in future : long court-martial details or proceedings 
need not be inserted, excepting such as have required a very 
particular reference to doubted or doubtful principles of 
military law. I wish, however, an exact copy of the index 
of each book for the last and the present year to be inserted. 

I had the pleasure to find my family in good health, with 
the exception of one member, who has recently recovered. 

I am, with great regard, your friend, E. P. Gaines. 

Asst. Adjt. Gen. G. A. McCall, 

Aide-de-Camp, &g., &g. 
P.S. — I will try to find time to write to my friend General 
Atkinson before the mail closes. 



Jefferson Barracks, Oct. 22, 1831. 

Dear General : — Since my letter of the 31st ult. 
I have had the honor to receive the copies of your letters 
to General Macomb and Colonel Clinch, of the 9th and 
15th ult. 

Captain Wickliffe has forwarded through Major Daven- 
port- an application for the discharge of private James 
Brown of Company F, 6th Infantry. Brown was turned 
over to the civil authorities during the summer ; was tried 
for the murder of Jonathan Aitkin, convicted of man- 
slaughter, and sentenced to two years and six months soli- 
tary confinement, at the expiration of which time his term 
of enlistment will have nearly (if not quite) expired. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 249 

The Major submits it to your consideration, in case you 
order Brown's discharge, whether or not he should be 
mulct of whatever pay and clothing may be due him at 
the time of his discharge. 

I enclose a letter from Major Zantzinger, requesting 
permission to relieve certain convicts, and to re-enlist a 
sergeant who (then a deserter) was pardoned per '^ Order 
No. 29," of 1830. 

On the 31st ult. I received the enclosed letter from 
General Atkinson, requesting a furlough for Lieut. Brooke 
of the Sixth Regiment. I had a conversation with Gen- 
eral Atkinson on the subject. It appears that business of 
some consequence requires Lt. Brooke's presence in Vir- 
ginia ; and knowing that you are always disposed to pro- 
mote the welfare of so excellent an officer as Lt. Brooke, 
I gave him a furlough. A copy of the S. Order is here- 
with enclosed. 

Should you purpose to remain on the southern frontier 
for any length of time, I would beg leave to request that 
I may be more particularly furnished with instructions on 
some particular points, such as the ordering of General 
Courts Martial for the trial of guard-house prisoners, 
giving discharges under certain circumstances, &c. Much 
time might be saved bv this means. 

I am, General, &c. &q. 



HEADqUARTERS WESTERN DEPARTMENT. "J 

Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 28, 1831. J 

Sir : — My permanent headquarters being established at 
Memphis, you will be pleased to remove the books, papers, and 
furniture of your office to this place as soon as may be con- 
venient, accompanied with a good clerk, to be selected by 
you and detailed for this service. 



250 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Wishing to see you soon, I offer you assurance of my con- 
stant regard. Edmund P. Gaines, 

Major- General commanding. 
Aide-de-Camp McCall, 

Acting Asst, Adjt. Gen., Jefferson Barracks, Mo. 

P.S. — I have been in very ill health during the last three 
weeks. I am now much better. My first attack was influ- 
enza, which soon took the form of a distressing ear-ache, 
accompanied with fever. I have several papers for your 
office, which I will retain until your arrival here. Tender 
my affectionate regards to General and Mrs. Atkinson, and 
all other friends near you. 

Yours, with the truest regard, 

Edmund P. Gaines. 



Memphis, Tenn., January 22, 1832. 

My DEAR B — — : [Late Judge Advocate, AY. D.] 
Arrived at length, I am located — not settled — at this 
chosen spot, and my journey finished, one of my first and 
most agreeable employments is to have a little epistolary 
chat with one whose conversational qualities were wont to 
be the source of so much pleasure to me ; though I would 
that I had something of more interest to communicate 
than the history of my own adventures since I left you 
(and with sincere regret I call it to mind) in the thraldom 
of that diabolical Tertian. How^ are you? Have you at 
length shaken ofpyour fetters? Are you at length at lib- 
erty to enter into a voluntary servitude, the slavery of the 
law ? Yes, I perceive it, you have commenced your new 
career ; but, how I see your wearied eyelids droop, as the 
sleepy god lays his leaden sceptre upon your brow, while 
you pore over the dull pages of Coke and Blackstone. 
But, corragio soldadoj with " time and I against any other 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 251 

two'' (as the Spaniard hath it) for your motto, you need 
ask no odds of the world. 

But to talk of one's self is the chief object of all familiar 
letter-writers ; and it would be strange if I did not fall 
into so agreeable a fashion. ^' I tell you, Hal ! " I had a 
most perilous journey from St. Louis, through Illinois and 
Indiana to Louisville, — more hair-breadth escapes and 
vexations upon vexations than w^ould fill a volume ; but 
fear not, I am not going to inflict upon you an account 
of them. I will give you the only bright page that en- 
livens the history of my travels. It was a Grouse-sup- 
2)er! — a gloriously glowing, delicate Grouse-supper! — to 
which I sat down at my old friend Mrs. Halstead's w^ith 
a proper appetite and a becoming resolution to handle a 
brio^ht knife and fork to the best advantao;e. 

I arrived at about 9 o'clock, and was ushered into the 
room where I had passed many a pleasant hour with R. 
H , during the grouse-shooting season. At last sup- 
per was announced; — oh, H., my dainty sir, it was a 
supper worthy to be marked with a lohite stone. Here 
was the fond association of the past with the present pleas- 
ure; and when I cast my eyes before me, there, there, with 
all the charms of reality, there was the delicious union of 
gravies and juices in the sweet concord of nuptial har- 
mony ! Oh, it was a sight, it was a scene, the very remem- 
brance of which* I could dwell upon for hours with de- 
light. But it will not eflPace from my memory our many 
pleasant partridge suppers, at the Barracks, where wine 
and mirth made the night move lightly by. 

I reached Louisville on New Year's day, and passed the 
evening at Mrs. B 's, and of course passed it very pleas- 
antly in company with Louisa, who is the only girl I ever 
met whose face, wdiose features and manner come near the 
idea I have formed, from the pictures I have seen, of 
Mary Queen of Scots. There is certainly a marked re- 



252 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

semblance which no one can fail to see ! She pressed me 
to remain the next day and go to a dinner-party at her 

Uncle's (Mr. H 's), and I confess I considered myself 

entitled to some credit for self-denial Avhen I declined on 
the score of duty, for ignorant of the General's arrival at 
this place, I felt it incumbent on me to be at the new 
Headquarters as soon as practicable. 

On my arrival here, to my surprise I found the General 
and his family. None of us ave fixed yet: — we are living 
at Spaulding's tavern, where, according to the language of 
the country, we are accommodated; which, in my accepta- 
tion of the phrase, is being extremely discommoded by the 
hours, ways, and manners (as far as I can discover any) of 
the people about us, all which are unlike and unsuited to 
my own ; but I must hope for a change for the better, and 
live on anticipation. 

I am just called to look at a fine horse offered to me for 
sale, — so I must bid you adieu. Apropos ! how did Cal- 
vert sell my horses ? If he has not sold them yet, you had 
better let them go for what they will bring in the market. 
Be so good as to say so to him. 

I am, my dear B , yours sincerely. 



Memphis, Tenn., Jan. 15, 1832. 

My dear Brother : — After two years passed on the 
Atlantic seaboard and on the upper Mississippi, I find 
myself again for the second time here at Memphis, on the 
banks of the great father of waters. Two years ago, I 
left Florida for the East, and reached New Orleans in a 
little schooner from Tampa; then steamed up the Missis- 
sippi to this place. I then little thought I should ever 
be ordered here on any permanent duty, as this is likely 
to i)rove. On the occasion to which I refer, I passed one 
night here. It was an extremely hot one ; there was not 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 253 

a breath of air stirring, and I felt cruelly the loss of our 
land or night breeze at Tampa. To add to the unpleas- 
antness of my situation, I was put into a very moderate- 
sized bed-room with two other persons, — the one an old 
gentleman, the other a young man, and as I understood 
him to say, of Philadelphia; but the an comble of my 
ill-luck w^as to come. No sooner had the old gentleman 
got to bed than he commenced the most terrific snoring, — 
I vow, I never heard the like; — it was hand-saw filing, 
it was roaring, it was Avhistling, all at once, and executed 
at the rate or joower of a small steam-engine. Directly 
after the commencement of this serenade, the young gen- 
tleman called to me, complaining bitterly that he had been 
kept awake all the night before on the steamer with a 
bilious colic, and now needed rest and sleep. Directly, 
he called out to the old gentleman, whom he roused with, — 

" My friend ! my good friend ! is there anything the 
matter with you ? '^ 

'^ No,^^ was the gruff answer ; and in two minutes the 
thunder, the handsaAV-filing, and the whistling was renewed 
with additional force. Again the younger stranger called 
aloud, — 

" My friend, is there anything the matter with you ? ^' 

" No, sir ! '' retorted the elder stranger ; " why do you 
ask?" 

" I require sleep, my friend, and I cannot sleep while 
you snore," said the younger. 

" Well, I am not unreasonable," said the elder, mildly. 
^' I will endeavor to keep awake until you get asleep." 

The elder, however, notwithstanding his promise, began 
to snore again in five minutes, and before the younger 
gentleman had been able to so calm and soothe his excited 
nerves as to reach that much-envied condition when 
^^ nature^ s sweet restorer — gentle sleep ^^ falls unasked upon 
22 



254 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

the senses. Again he called out more petulantly than 
before, — 

^^ It is impossible for me to sleep, sir, while you snore/' 

The elder gentleman then good-naturedly said, — 

" I will get up and sit by the window. The fresh air 
"will probably keep me awake until you can compose 
yourself 

But it was of no avail : again he was wrapt in blissful 
forgetfulness in spite of the fresh air ; and again he was 
called upon to allow his young fellow-traveller a chance 
to sleep. He still, with politeness, said, — 

" I will let the window-sash down upon my shoulder, 
and try that '^ (it was fastened up with a nail) " until you 
are asleep. '^ 

And this he did with honest intentions. But although 
the spirit was willing, the flesh was weak ; and not many 
precious minutes had passed before the wheezing, the 
thunder, and the whistle was renewed. 

'^ Oh, dear me ! '^ cried the young one in an agony, 
" there you are again ! '^ 

This exclamation awoke the old one, who asked, in 
rather a determined tone, " How long do you ask, sir, to 
get to sleep ? '' 

The other replied, with a weak voice, '' I think, if I had 
fifteen minutes of undisturbed quiet, it would do.'' 

^' Well, sir," was the reply, " I '11 give you fifteen min- 
utes, and if you are not asleep, d — n you, I '11 come to bed 
to you, and snore you to death ! " 

At this explosion, I, Avho Avas greatly amused at the 
whole aflPair, could hold in no longer, but burst out into 
an incontrollable fit of laughter. AVhether a dread of the 
fulfilment of the threat, or whether nature had at last sunk 
overpowered, I cannot say, for during this pause in the 
hostilities I fell asleep, and did not wake in the morning 
until the old gentleman was gone ; the younger was still 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 255 

there, alive, and apparently making up for lost time. 1 
left him to inquire about the stage, and saw him no more. 

At the time of this my first visit to ^lemphis, this bed- 
room scene made such an impression upon my memory, 
that, were I to live to the age of Methuselah, I should 
remember every word that passed, and have often told the 
story, though I believe never to yourself. When I arrived 
here the other clay, I came to the hotel, still kept by the 
same landlord, and was lodged in the identical room, though, 
the house having been enlarged, I was the sole occupant. 
The coincidence brought the occurrence so forcibly to my 
memory, that I could not resist the temptation of repeat- 
ing to you, verbatim, wdiat passed on that eventful night. 

At the time I speak of, the public conveyance of passen- 
gers between Memphis and Nashville was by stage. We 
set out at noon. Our company Avas a gentleman, his wife, 
and child, of Jackson ; two gentlemen of Nashville, and 
myself. We were seven days travelling the route, lying 
by on Sunday. We passed over many miles of those exe- 
crable roads called " corduroys''; — they are roads through 
the Swamp, made by laying fence-rails round or angular, 
crooked or straight, perpendicularly across the way. 

As I chose this route in order to see the country, I had 
a capital chance to see the worst of it, passing through 
Somerville, Bolivar, Jackson, Reynoldsburg, and Charlotte, 
to Nashville. I walked five or six miles every day. The 
day we left Reynoldsburg was one of intense suffering to 
man and beast; the heat was almost intolerable, and by 
the time Ave reached the mountain, the horses were fa«:2:ed 
out. The men AA^alked the AA'hole Avay to relieve them. 
We reached the mountain-top at four o'clock p. M. Here 
was the usual place of changing horses, the next stage 
being six miles to Charlotte, where Ave Avere to sup and 
sleep. But througli some accident, the horses Ave should 
have had had been sent aAvay ; it proved a providential 



256 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

thing, as will appear in the sequel. In reporting the fact, 
the driver proposed to the company to remain at this 
house and take supper ; that we eould rest till two o'clock 
in the morning, by which time his horses would be in 
condition to go on ; and that he would take us to Char- 
lotte in time for breakfast and the next stage. The party 
yielded a willing assent, for I believe they were all in 
want of rest. Soon after our arrival, I looked down the 
steep mountain-side, and away in the distance, across the 
plain, I observed just peering above the horizon a cloud 
of inky blackness. 

It rose rapidly, and came on towards us with hurried 
strides. The rain soon began to fall, though the centre 
of the storm passed to the north of us. At two, however, 
we resumed our journey. The moon was up, and gave 
light enough, though rain was still falling from scattering 
clouds. At the distance of three and a half miles we came 
to w^here the tornado — for such indeed it had been — 
crossed our road through an oak and hickory wood of 
majestic trees. After a great deal of hard work, lifting 
the stage over trees, we succeeded in getting down a steep 
bluff into a meadow, and in this way reached Charlotte at 
eleven o'clock A. M. Here was a scene to excite our 
warmest sympathy. The hurricane, about one hundred 
yards in width, had passed directly through the centre of 
the village or county town, and not a single house, I be- 
lieve, entirely escaped injury. The court-house, quite a large 
brick building, standing in the centre of the public square, 
was levelled with the ground. A log house on the street 
north of the court-house, that stood alone, was literally 
blown away, not one log being left upon the site wdiere it 
stood ; but lay scattered down the hill in the rear. A two- 
story brick dwelling, at the southwest corner of the square, 
had the whole of the second story carried entirely away ; 
the wall being cut off at the level of the Avainscoting as 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 257 

smoothly as if done by a mason ; and yet a four-post bed- 
stead on the east side of the room was untouched, and 
with the mosquito-net still stretched upon the posts unin- 
jured. The pine posts of another bedstead on the south 
side, where the three children slept, were also standing 
straight above the remains of the wall; and what is as 
strange as all this, is, that the children were in bed at the 
time, and the only injury was a little bruise on the hand 
of one of them, caused by a falling brick. No one was 
killed, and but few slight wounds were received. The 
country for miles was covered with boards and shingles ; 
and we were told that a large folio report-book, belonging 
to the court-house, had been brought in by a countryman 
from a distance of three miles. We breakfasted, and got 
off about one o'clock. We reached Nashville Avithout fur- 
ther adventure, having escaped the storm by our deten- 
tion ; thence I proceeded to Louisville, and thence to 
Wheeling, and so on to Washington, where I reported and 
received my special orders. Adieu. 



Mr. McCall's letter containing the substance of the com- 
niunication from Governor Keynolds to the Secretary of War, 
is the only official information which has reached me since 
ray arrival at this place, upon the subject of the Indian War. 
Unofficial rumors contain no new evidence of hostility ; and 
they are in accordance with the Governor's impression that 
there is sufficient force under General Atkinson, to bring the 
war to an effective termination. 

I have put off writing until the arrival of the mails from 
Louisville and Shawneetown, in the hope of obtaining some 
information : in this I am disappointed, and have only a 
moment to write before the closing of the mail. I shall 
probably return to Memphis by the next stage. With great 
regard, E. P. Gaines. 

G. A. McC^ALL. Memphis, Tenn,, June 26, 1832. 

22* R 



258 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Nashville, Tenn, June 21, 183a. 

Dear Sir: — I have just now received your letter of the 
17th of this month. A report is in circulation that General 
Atkinson has had a fight with Black-Hawk — a very hand- 
some fight; that the enemy was whipped, not however until a 
loss of nearly 300 had occurred on each side. The report, 
however, wants confirmation. 

I was greatly in hopes of hearing from General Atkinson 
this evening, but have been disappointed. Having waited 
in the indulgence of this hope until the time of closing the 
mail, I have only time to write this much, and to add that I 
have no news, but a letter from our excellent friend General 
Cadwalader, in which he desires to be kindly remembered to 
you. I am truly and respectfully, 

Your friend, 

Mr. McCall, Memphis, Tenn. E. P. Gaines. 



My dear M- 



Memphis, July 15, 1832. 



Six months' residence here has made me acquainted with 
several very pleasant families, with some one of which I 
frequently pass an agreeable evening. My duties are such, 
too, as to allow a sufficient indulgence of my shooting pro- 
clivities, and I have been agreeably surprised by the 
receipt of a fine young pointer dog sent to me by my 
father from Philadelphia. Partridges are abundant, and 
the shooting lasts fr6m September to February. In the 
latter month, the shooting is splendid. The weather is 
fine, the temperature mild, the birds full-grown, strong, fly 
like the wind, and of full and delicious muscle for the 
table. They collect in large numbers in the twenty or 
fifty acre corn-fields, where the grass and weeds afford both 
good cover and abundance of food. Practice is making 
me a pretty good shot. A few days ago I killed twenty 
single birds out of twenty-one successive shots, and after- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 259 

wards seven more. My young dog, whose name, Grouse, 
was engraved on his collar when he arrived, proves to be 
worthy of the famous stock from Trenton, N. J., whence 
he came. Some weeks ago he performed a singular ex- 
ploit that I think deserves to be recorded. While shoot- 
ing in a field two or three birds from a covey, I was en- 
gaged with crossing the fence into a beautifully open wood. 
I followed and came to a little patch of marsh formed by 
the Avater from a trifling spring; on coming to which, 
Grouse, who was coursing rapidly, winded the birds on 
the opposite side of the marsh. He dashed over at the 
same speed, and when about half-way, I saw him make a 
perpendicular bound into the air ; greatly alarmed at the 
sight, I exclaimed to a youth, the son of a friend who had 
accompanied me, " My dog is struck by a snake ! '^ I had 
not failed to remark, however, that as the dog passed over 
what I felt confident must be a snake, he turned his head 
to the left and downwards, and I heard his jaws snap. I 
hurried to this spot, while Grouse went across the wet 
ground and stood his point. On reaching the spot, I 
found a large moccason or cotton-mouth snake writhing on 
the ground, with his head crushed and his upper jaw 
broken on both sides near the commissure, so that the 
reptile could not close it ; but there it stood perpendicular 
and disclosing the whole of the interior of his immense 
dead-white, or, as it is well named, "cotton-mouth." This 
is one of the most venomous snakes of the United States, 
and of a more savage disposition than the rattlesnake. 
The latter may be termed the lion, while the former is 
worthy to be denominated the tiger of snakes. One glance 
removed all concern as to the safety of my dog, and with 
my heel I finished the monster's days. I now looked up 
with pride and admiration at Grouse, who was standing 
his point like a statue, as if nothing had occurred. I 
walked up to him and gave him the command ^' forward/' 



260 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

and killed the bird -svlieii it rose. I then carefully exam- 
ined his lips and his head, and found all right. Take it 
altogether, it was one of the prettiest feats I ever saw per- 
formed by a dog. Occasionally I have seen a deer while 
riding through tlie woods, but never have been so fortu- 
nate as to get a shot at one. 



[exteact.] 

Memphis, November 2, 1832. 

My dear Brother : — .... A few nights since my 
dog Grouse exhibited a striking evidence of his sagacity. 
You must know that he usually sleeps in my room, on 
the rug in front of the fire. Before I retired to bed, on 
the night in question, I covered up the coals of a wood 
fire, as is my habit, and was soon in a sound sleep. About 
midnight I was awakened by Grouse, who had my left 
arm above the elbow in his jaws, and was shaking me 
pretty roughly. As soon as fairly awake, I discovered 
that I had been sleeping in a suffocating smoke that filled 
the room. Springing up, I threw open the windows, and 
then discovered that a spark from the smouldering fire had 
fallen upon the rug, which was of cotton material, and had 
consumed about one-fourth of it around the centre. Taki ng 
the ew^er from the wash-stand, I poured a little water around 
the glowing edges, apparently extinguishing all fire, tossed 
the ruined movable into a heap with my foot, and the 
room being again refreshed with a new atmosphere, I went 
to bed and was soon lost in sleep. How long I had slept 
I know not ; but again I w^as aroused by my dog in the 
same w^ay that I had previously been. Again the room 
was full of smoke; again I sprang up; threw up the 
window^ to get air; but this time I discovered that the fire 
1 had thought extinguished had revived, and had burned 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 261 

not onlj tlirongh the floor, but half-way tliroiigh the joist 
directly under, from which a faint but perceptible blaze 
was beginning to rise ; there was every appearance that, 
had I slept half an hour longer, I should have had to make 
my way out of the room through the flames. With the 
water that still remained in the ewer, and some four or five 
gallons in the foot-bath, economically applied, I succeeded 
in making the extinguishment complete this time, without 
disturbing any one in the house ; the vile rug, the cause of 
all this menacing of serious conflagration, I threw out of 
the window upon the grass plot, to expire at its leisure. 
But I took care to represent to the landlord, and more par- 
ticularly to the landlady, the distinguished service rendered 
by Grouse in the affair. And I have noticed since tliat 
he gets a good word always in passing the mistress. 



Memphis, Tenn., March 5, 1833. 

My dear Ser : — It has occurred to me that if you do not 
take with you your servant John, you may be disposed to 
leave him with some of your friends. If so, and he should 
incline to stay with me, I should be glad to have him. But 
I must add that this proposition is intended to be accepted 
or rejected by you, as if it had come from any other person 

in Memphis Your friend, 

E. P. Gaines. 

P. S. — If the state of your funds, while absent, should 
render it desirable or convenient, draw on me for any sum 
which you may need at thirty days' sight. 

E. P. Gaines. 
Aide-de-Camp George A. McCall. 
Memphis, Tenn. 



262 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Special Order, ] Hd. Qrs. Western Department. ") 

JSTo. j Memphis, Tenn., August 8, 1833. j 

My senior Aide-de-Camp, Assistant Adjutant -General 
George A. McCall, has leave of absence for two months, 
ending the 3d November, 1833, at which time he w^ill return 
to his duty. Edmund P. Gaines, 

Major- General commanding. 

P. S. — AVe suffered much w^ith the cholera in June last, 
particularly Henry, who was apparently in the last stage of 
the disease for many hours. We are now, however, in good 
health, having had no death except a hired servant unknown 
to you. We shall rejoice to see you, and none more than 
Mr. Miller, who is very desirous to have a leave of absence 
and relief from his confinement. He will probably accom- 
pany me on a visit of inspection up Red River in November 
or December next. Mrs. Gaines, her sister, and all the boys 
unite in affectionate respect. Your friend, 

Aide-de-Camp G. A. McCall, E. P. Gaines. 

Philadelphia. 

I send a copy of the leave of absence to Cincinnati, lest 
you may have left Philadelphia on your return. 



Memphis, December 25, 1833. 

.... Having received a short leave of absence during 
the autumn, I made a visit to the East, to look to some 
pecuniary interests requiring my presence, and returned a 
few weeks since. I came by steamer from Pittsburg, and 
brought with me thence a remarkably fine horse of Vir- 
ginia blood, a present from my father, whom I found at 
Butler, Pa., on his return from his Virginia lands. An- 
other, a Kentucky horse, I took on board at Louisville, 
my duties here requiring me to be mounted. These steeds 
were landed safely at eleven at night, though not until by 
some mismanagement the Kentucky horse had leaped 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 263 

from the wharf Into the Mississippi and swum ashore some 
distance below. The Kentucky horse is a fine animal; 
but the Virginian, which I call Redbird, (he is a blood 
bay,) is such a horse as a man meets with only once in a 
lifetime. His limbs seem to be made of " clockwork cind 
steam ;^^ so much elasticity in his step, such freedom of 
motion, and such noble carriage were never coupled with 
such an indomitable spirit and such a fearless and half 
vicious disposition. He has already bitten my groom 
through shirt and vest till he brought the blood from about 
his ribs, has kicked Grouse once out of the stable-door and 
sent him flying across the yard, where he lay for some time, 
apparently more dead than alive ; and besides all this, the 
third time I rode him out to shoot partridges, as I dis- 
mounted with my gun he turned on me, let fly his heels, 
drove one of the corks of his shoe into the fore-part of 
my thigh, tumbled me over, and before I could rise and 
raise my gun upon him for the purpose of returning the 
compliment with a load of partridge-shot, he was out of 
sight. On this occasion I happened to be near a small 
farm-house ; my wound was bleeding freely, and though 
the bone was not injured, the limb soon became much 
swollen and quite stitt". I made my way to the house, 
where I found only the old woman, the old man having 
gone to town. Observing a white horse in the field next the 
house, I explained my case and inquired whether I could 
hire the horse to ride home. The old lady seeing the 
blood on my clothes, without ansAvering my question, 
begged me to come into the house, that she might bind up 
my wound and stanch the blood. Seeing that I had to 
deal with a very decided person, and perceiving that the 
quickest way to arrive at a satisfactory reply to my ques- 
tion was to comply, I walked in and took a seat, whilst 
the matron busied herself in tearing off a bandage from a 
clean under-garment of her own, which she took from an 



264 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

old-fashioned bureau, and upon it spread a mixture of 
brown sugar and vinegar with which to emplaster my 
hurt. Having cut with her. scissors a slit in the leg of 
my pantaloons sufficiently large to receive the plaster, 
she then bound it on under the pantaloons and told me to 
lie down on the bed. Seeing that I obeyed all her com- 
mands without demurring, she then said, " Now I will 
see if I can catch the horse for you.'^ She disappeared ; 
and I presumed so far to disobey the injunction laid upon 
me, as to raise myself upon my elbow and look through the 
window to see what success she might have with the gray 
horse. She advanced towards him, holding out an ear of 
corn in her hand and calling him by name. The horse 
came up a few paces and smelled at the corn, but as soon 
as he saw the bridle he whirled round and bounded off. 
Nothing dashed at this, the old lady followed him up, 
holding the bridle behind her ; but the gray having once 
caught a glimpse of it, could not be coaxed into captivity. 
My hostess certainly persevered with a spirit worthy of 
success, until I got so out of patience with the old gray 
that I bounced off the bed with a sudden and mighty im- 
pulse to fly to her assistance ; but my game-leg had 
scarcely touched the floor before I discovered that it was 
not only unfit for running, but even to bear the weight of 
my body. The next moment my kind hostess came in 
quite out of breath. Seating herself in the rocking-chair, 
she drew a long breath and thus addressed me, **You 
must needs content yourself to lie there till sundown, 
when the horse will come home to be fed, or my husband 
will be back from town." Saying this, she placed a book 
within my reach on the bed, and left the room to attend 
to the house-affairs. I took up the book, which proved a 
copy of an old edition of the Pilgrims' Progress. I Avas 
soon in sweet converse with old John Buuyan, and the 
time passed unconsciously till the dim light of the room 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 265 

made me sensible that sunset was at hand. The old man 
soon came in ; and having expressed his regret at the acci- 
dent, brought the horse to the door and assisted me to 
mount. Judging from appearances, I conchuled that 
their circumstances were such as not to make them unwill- 
ing to receive a largesse, I slijiped a note into the old 
man's hand, and promising to send the gray home in the 
morning, I bid them adieu. I got home well enough ; 
but had to be carried up-stairs. The doctor found the 
wound a severe one; and I was a WTck on my back. 
During that period I ordered Redbird to be exercised 
daily ; but he tlirew every one who rode him, and then 
quietly returned to tlie stable, as he did after leaving me 
in the woods. 

Notwithstanding these vicious tricks, I valued him 
more than any horse I had ever owned, except " my first 
love,^^ Kate. Redbird's gaits were as smooth as oil. I 
could ride him hard all day, and he would come in at 
night with the same elasticity of tread that he had in the 
morning. When on his back, I felt secure in running 
him through the woods or over any obstacle, for he was 
as light and as surefooted as a cat. I could fire from his 
back with perfect ease, as he never flinched at the 
report of a gun. AVhen I dismounted, Grouse having 
found a covey of partridges, he would remain perfectly 
quiet while I was shooting round him ; but as soon as I 
had finished with the covey and returned to mount, he 
would lay his ears back and kick at me, as I approached, 
in the most spiteful manner. I had to watch my oppor- 
tunity to run in at his head, when I have sometimes 
punched him in the side with the muzzle of my double- 
barrel gun, as he would try to turn on me, till one would 
think I must break his ribs, before he could be made to 
stand while I unfastened his halter; and then the mo- 
ment that was done I had to spring into the saddle, or he 
23 



266 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

would be off with his heels flying in the air. I could 
scarcely get a smith in Memphis to shoe him ; and he 
sometimes went bare on that account. At last a smith, 
who had lately come to Memphis, sent me word he had 
been used to shoeing all sorts of horses, and was not afraid 
of Redbird. I told my servant George to take him to 
the shop ; and about two hours afterAvards, while writing 
in my office, I heard the tramp of a horse. (I had taken 
a small house, with a court-yard in front and a stable in 
rear.) I looked through the door and saw Redbird enter- 
ing the front gate, with the blacksmith's leather apron tied 
over his eyes, and the blacksmith's tongs hanging to his 
nose. I followed him to the stable, where I found my 
poor horse with the apron tied over his eyes and the tongs 
with a cord fastened to the end and twisted round his 
upper lip, and the two front shoes on his feet, while the 
hind feet were bore. The blacksmith's striker, with 
George, soon followed, to claim his property. He told 
me his boss was tired, but if I would send the horse back 
in the morning, he would shoe him or die. 

After breakfast I directed George to take the horse to 
the shop ; and believing that Redbird knew me better and 
feared me more than any one else, I followed, thinking I 
might exercise some influence. The smith was ready and 
full of pluck. He directed his striker to apply his instru- 
ment to the horse's upper lip ; and while I stood at his 
head with the halter in my hand, the smith fearlessly took 
the left hind-foot in his hand. He had scarcely brought 
it between his knees and applied the buttress, when Red- 
bird launching out that leg, rather forcibly pushed his 
hock against the back of the man and caused him to turn 
a complete somerset. In making this revolution, the 
man's red wig flew off; and rather abashed at the acci- 
dent than hurt by the fall, he scrambled after the wig and 
cruyhed it upon his bald pate before rising from his knees. 



BY GEOBGE A. McCALL. 267 

When thus reinstated, he returned to the charge as fear- 
less as at first. In fact, after an hour's hard work of all 
three of us, I had the satisfaction to see Redbird go home 
with a full set of shoes wonderfully well put on. After 
rewarding the blacksmith for his pluck as well as his skill, 
I returned home rejoicing in my good-fortune. 

In this notice of Redbird, I have ^' nothing extenuated, 
nor set down aught in maliceJ^ 

Ever yours faithfully. 



[extract.] 

Memphis, December 29, 1833. 

My dear M : I have nothing very wonderful to 

tell you, except that the pen with which I indite this 
beautiful piece of epistolary literature was a few days 
since extended in the stormy regions of the clouds, direct- 
ing the rapid flight of one of a party of tliose garrulous 
aquatics who from time immemorial have been celebrated 
for rendering essential service in the department of let- 
ters — emphatically styled the scholar's bird. 

I take that to be a pretty flighty period, yet you w^ould 
not expect less from a loild-goose quill ; but I will trim 
down the feathery end of my pen, and tell you in plain 
English that I brought home the other day a fine w^ild 
goose that I killed some miles from town, and promised 

Mrs. H , who is now boarding with us, and of whose 

husband you have heard me speak, that I would in a day 
or two give her a dinner that would make her the envy 
of Lucullus. Well, the day arriving, the dish was 
served with due ceremony, and every one said of course, 
" I '11 try the wild goose." And such a trial it was too 
— a perfect labor of jaws on all sides except on the 
part of the bridegroom, whom, with his pretty bride, I 
had asked to join us, and who was blessed with greater 



268 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

powers of mastication or a greater share of complaisance 
than falls to the lot of most mortals. When I looked 
round at the wry faces, where agony and despair were 
strongly depicted, as Jack Downing would have said, ^^1 
didnH knoiv but what I should split J' At last, unable to 
contain myself longer, I roared out, and the scene that 
followed beggars description. However, I told John to 
change the plates, and declared that, as we could not eat 
the old fellow, we would drink him. So the dish was 
removed, and a bottle of wine brought in, which we 
drank, I assure you, very merrily. After dinner I sent to 
Mrs. H. a pen on which I put a label to this effect: 
^' Taken from the dexter pinion of the Patriarch of the 
flock that cackled on Capitol Hill, the night Brennus, 
at the head of the Gauls, assaulted the walls of Rome, 
The hero, I conclude, emigrated to this continent in an 
eventful year of which historians have neglected to make 
mention.''^ I certainly have not laughed so heartily and 
so long for a great while. You must pardon the abrupt- 
ness with which I terminate this letter. I am called. 

Let me hear from you at your early leisure, and believe 
me ever affectionately yours. G. 



[memorandum.] 

Memphis, March 12, 1833. 

1. Aide-de-Camp, A. Adjt.-General McCall is requested to 
enter the enclosed letter in his letter-book, and then enclose 
it to the General-in-Chief. 

2. He is desired to send to my address at Florence, Tenn., 
until the 17th, and to Columbia, Tenn., until the 20th, and 
to Nashville until the 25th, all such letters as may seem to 
require my attention, or copies thereof 

3. He will perform all the duties of his office, and open 
all official letters addressed to me, as usual, and act as in his 
judgment the good of the service requires. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 269 

Hoping to return in two weeks or thereabouts, I am, with 
great regard, Edmund P. Gaines. 

P, S. — I send subjoined an order which Mr. McCall is 
desired to send to Paymaster De Russy for collection, and 
when received place the amount to my credit. 

E. P. Gaines. 

[The following was sent on the eve of the departure of the 
General, with Mrs. Gaines and his youngest son Ediiiund,for 
Nashville.] 

Mr. McCall will receive herewith the key of my best wine, 
which he is desired to make use of and recommend to any 
of our friends who may visit him. And if anything should 
occur to render his removal necessary or desirable, there 
are two rooms here, (the parlor and adjacent chamber,) 
w^hich Mrs. G. and myself unite in recommending to him. 

With great regard, 

E. P. Gaines. 
Fairfield, near Memphis, 
Monday morning, Nov. 12, 1833. 

P. S. — I have engaged a coachman (in place of my sick 
man Ben) at Mr. Roswell's, three miles from town, and have 
to ask the favor of your man John to drive out that far 
this morning — as soon as convenient. E. P. G. 

Memphis, April 15, 1833. 

Dear : One morning in March, George came to 

my room before breakfast and reported that the stable- 
door had been bi'oken open during the night, and the 
Kentucky horse had been stolen. I ordered him to 
saddle Redbird at once. I then breakfasted, buckled on 
a brace of belt-pistols under my overcoat, and mounted 
my horse. I made a semicircle around the to^vn from 
the Mississippi to Wolf River, examining all by-roads, for 

the tracks of my horse, which I had learned from the 

23* 



270 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Seminoles how to distinguish ; and also to make inquiries 
of the people living near the town. I however got no 
information of any kind. I then made a wider circuit 
of four or five miles, but still without success. I now 
concluded to take the main stage-road toward Nashville, 
and to make inquiry as I went. I rode rapidly when in 
motion ; but I had lost so much time in branching oif to 
search or make inquiry, that it was two o'clock when I 
reached Raleigh, the capital of our county, ten miles N. 
E. of Memphis. Here I stopped at the hotel to seek in- 
formation. After spending near an hour in this pursuit, 
I met a man who informed me that he had remarked 
about breakfast-time two men riding up the road, each 
with a led horse, one of which was a large chestnut an- 
swering very well to the description of my Kentuck. I 
immediately mounted, and giving Redbird the spur, was 
soon on the track of these gentlemen at a rapid pace. I 
heard of them now and then on the road, and the descrip- 
tion of one of the led horses always answered to Kentuck. 
At a road-side tavern, eight miles from Raleigh, they told 
me these men had stopped a few minutes to get something 
to drink and light a cigar. Dinner was over, but they 
were asked to have their horses put up, while dinner was 
prepared for them ; but they preferred going on. I put 
Redbird to his work again, and just before sunset I drew 
up at another tavern four miles beyond. The landlord 
came to the door, and in answer to my inquiries said the 
persons I referred to were then in his house. I asked, 
where were their horses. He replied, they were in his 
stable ; and to my request to be permitted to see them he 
granted a ready assent. Without further parley, I hitched 
Redbird to the post, and marched in to the stable, which 
was on the opposite side of the road and in front of the 
inn. I found six horses there, and the hostler pointed 
out the four belonging to the trav^ellers ; the others he 
said were his master's. 



BY GEORGE A. Mr. CALL. 271 

One glance showed me tliat I had come npon the wrong 
trail. Kentuck was not there, thongli there was a fine 
chestnut horse, that in general features much resembled 
him. On returning to the house, I walked into the sitting- 
room to warm my feet, for the day had been raw and my 
feet had been many hours in the stirrups. I found there 
by the fire two persons who undoubtedly were the travel- 
lers I had been following. They politely made room for 
me at the fire ; and it was clear that the landlord had 
communicated to them the object of my visit, for the more 
respectable of the two, after a moment, turned to me and 
said, — 

" Cold riding to-day, sir.^^ To which I assented. After 
a short pause he again addressed me thus : — 

" I started from Clarksburg (on the Cumberland) with 
a flat-boat and twenty horses for New Orleans, and ten miles 
below Memphis my boat was wrecked, and I lost all my 
horses but four. And after such luck as that, it's rather 
hard to be taken for a horse-thief." 

I replied, laughing, ^' It is hard! it's too hard ! but, 
my friend, the circumstances were such as to require me 
to find out who you were.'' I then narrated to him how 
my horse had been stolen, and how I had got upon his 
trail. I added, that, in addition to the general resem- 
blance to his sorrel, mine had a small scar on his right 
buttock from the horn of a bull when a colt, by which he 
could not fail to identify Kentuck. And I continued, ^'I 
will give fifty dollars for the capture of the thief, and 
twenty-five for the horse." 

After a good laugh as I described my adventures, and 
declining an invitation to stay and sup with them, I rode 
back to Raleigh, where I put up Redbird for the night, 
after a ride of at least forty miles. I returned home after 
an early breakfast, and put an advertisement in the news- 
paper, offering the rewards I have named. A few days 



272 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

ago, (some three weeks after the horse was stolen,) a com- 
mon-looking man rode up to my gate on Kentucky and 
having dismounted and hitched the horse, came into my 
office and handed me a note from a Dr. Hawkins, living 
some thirty miles north of Memphis. The note stated 
that, three wxeks previous, as he was about to mount his 
horse after breakfast to visit a patient in the neighborhood, 
a man came up the road and, accosting him, said he had 
been riding hard, and had to go twenty miles further to see 
a brother who was dying, and as his horse was fagged out, 
he would be glad to exchange horses, if the Doctor would 
give him twenty dollars to boot. The Doctor, in his note, 
acknowledged that he had been taken in ; for having re- 
cently seen my advertisement, he was convinced by the 
scar on the buttock that the horse was mine. He con- 
cluded his note by requesting me to keep the horse, if mine, 
and to pay the reward to the man who delivered him. The 
man told me that Johnson the hotel landlord knew him. 
So that, having seen Johnson, and satisfied myself that he 
knew the messenger, and Doctor Hawkins also, T paid the 
reward and sent Kentuck to the stable. 

Last month I had some snipe-shooting, though these 
birds were not numerous, this meridian not being in their 
line of march to the north. In January, in Florida, 
I met with them in the wet prairies, which they quit in 
February to proceed on their spring tour to the upper 
latitudes where they nest. Adieu. 



Nashville, Tenn., April 28, 1835. 

Dear Sir: — Having in part arranged my business so as 
to enable me to return, by the last of the next week, to Mem- 
phis, I wish you to write to me once only after the receipt of 
this — say by the return mail — should anything important 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 273 

occur. Accompanying this, I send you the Army Eegister 

with a Special Order, No. , and the copy of a letter to 

Major Thompson. The newspapers contain all the news met 
with at this j^lace. Very respectfully, your friend, 

Edmund P. Gaines. 
Major Geo. A. McCall, 
A. D. C, Asst. Adjt Gen., 
Memphis, Tenn. 



CouRTLAND, Alabama, July 5, 1835. 

My dear Father: — I believe I men- 
tioned to you in my last that I expected to accompany 
the General on a ride through this part of the country — 
one that I had always heard extolled for the wealth and 
hospitality of its planters, and tlie varied beauty of its 
natural scenery. The General had been invited by the 
Directors of the Tuscumbia and Courtland Railroad to be 
present at the inauguration of their road on the 4th of 
July of the present year, being the 59th of the American 
Independence. As the General had accepted the invita- 
tion, we left headquarters eight days ago ; the General 
mounted on Redbird in preference to any one of four 
or five of his own horses ; and having ridden him one 
hundred and sixty miles, he now declares he is the best 
horse he has mounted for ten years. The General is a 
fine rider, and Redbird has been on his good behavior. 
I am glad of it, for his malicious spirit, wdiich for some 
time has lain dormant, may at any time show itself again. 

The General starts in the stage to-morrow for Hunts- 
ville, where he has business; thence he goes in like con- 
veyance to Nashville. As I do not like that mode of trav- 
elling, I have proposed for myself to return to Tuscumbia, 
where w^e left our horses, and thence proceed to Nashville 
to meet him. Redbird's back was a little chafed by the 

s 



274 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

ride; and if he is not fit for duty, I shall direct the Gen- 
eral's colored servant Tom to lead him home, riding his 
own horse only ; and for myself, I shall continue the jour- 
ney on Kentuck, not only to Nashville, but thence to 
Memphis again. 

This has been quite a charming ride. We travelled part 
of the way through the Chickasaw country, stopping occa- 
sionally at the houses of some of the wealthy Indians. 
Many of them who remain on the Reserve have slaves 
(negroes) from two or three to a dozen, and cultivate cot- 
ton as well as corn, &c. One old gentleman, quite an aris- 
tocratic-looking red man, with excellent manners, received 
the General with marked politeness. He has a well-cul- 
tivated .plantation, which is worked with fifty slaves and 
a white overseer. On 2d inst., we arrived at Waterloo, a 
post-village on the Tennessee River, twenty-six miles 
from our destination, Tuscumbia. Here we supped, and 
were soon shown to our sleeping-room, about twelve feet 
by eight, with two cot-beds, without mosquito-nets, but 
with mosquitoes of whose numbers I could not form any 
very accurate estimate ; but if I say about tAvo to every 
cubic inch of pestiferous atmosphere the room contained, 
you may form a faint idea of our situation. As I set 
down the tallow-dip upon the table, I sent forth a long, 
deep-drawn sigh, and cast my eyes around and upon the 
dingy walls of the forlorn apartment. There stood the 
General in the middle, with his hat in his hand ; a slight 
expression of indecision, such as I never saw before, 
crossed his countenance. ^' General," said I, inquiringly, 
'' can we stand this ? '' 

"Perhaps,'^ he replied in his blandest manner, 'Hhe 
landlady can give us another room.'' I walked at once 
to the head of the stairs, which by a single flight de- 
scended to the dining-room or rather kitchen, where we 
had just partaken of our unsavory meal; and summoning 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL, 275 

the lady with a voice slightly elevated, in a moment she 
stood before me at the foot of the stairs, bolt upright, with 
a meat-fork in her hand, and Avith an air that said, l^m 
ready for any emergency. To my interrogation whether 
she would be pleased to show the General to a better room, — 
(I should have said, as the General had done, another room,) 
— I was assailed at once, as from a steam-engine, with a 
shoAver of words of which I could distinguish only these : 
^^best bedroom in the house/^ and "good enough for anybody. '' 
Whereupon I withdrew to our apartment, and closing the 
door to shut out the conclusion of the farrago, I told the 
General that the landlady had done her best for him; 
and on my own part offered to light a cigar, and try what 
effect a little tobacco-smoke would have in dispersing the 
enemy. ^'A very good idea,'' returned he, now fully 
adjusted to the situation, and only studious how to better 
it; '^ and if you will give me a cigar, I'll try to help you." 
Now you must bear in mind that the General is de- 
cidedly averse to the use of tobacco, both physically oiid 
morally ; and in the three years that I have been a mem- 
ber of his military family, this is the second time I have 
known him to smoke a cigar ; the former, like the present, 
being an occasion where his forbearance as well as his for- 
titude were sorely tested ; but as a trait of his character, I 
mast mention that when he lighted a cigar, he never took 
it from his mouth until he had smoked it to the end, 
although it was sure to make him sick. On this occasion 
we had taken off our coats and boots, and thrown our- 
selves upon the bed-covers, when I extinguished the tal- 
low wick. He talked freely while he smoked; but at last, 
when I saw the stump of the cigar hurled against the Avail 
at our feet, and its crushed embers fall and expire upon 
the floor, a slight sigh as he turned over upon his side 
gave evidence that the stroug man had been overcome by 
the narcotic property of the Aveed, and had sunk into for- 



276 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

getfulness malgre the stings of our insatiable tormentors. 
This was in every respect the most disagreeable night 
that I recollect to have passed for a great while, and we 
set out to prosecute our journey to its termination at an 
early hour. 

We arrived at Tuscumbia in good season, and took up 
our abode at the hotel — a very good house and well kept. 
The following morning, — the important day, the 4th of 
July, — after an early breakfast, the General was waited 
upon by a Committee of the Directors, and escorted to a 
car in which were assembled a number of the ladies and 
gentlemen of Tuscumbia and vicinity. We soon set off 
under high steam-pressure on all sides. An impromptu 
band of music was thundering away in a front car ; the 
Directors, who had early commenced the celebration of 
this commemorable day with inint juleps, were in the 
highest plight for fun and rejoicing; they kept the whis- 
tle of the locomotive agoing to the terror of plantation 
negroes, whose horses and light ploughs went tearing 
through the cotton-fields to the great delight of the 
merry Directors, who, standing on the platforms or 
mounted on the roof of our car, added their wild shouts 
to the scene of general confusion which accompanied the 
passage of this first train that passed over their new, 
their only and almost idolized railway. We, however, 
reached Courtland, twenty-three miles, in capital time, 
and without accident to the train or any one on board. 
Here we found a large building erected in the public 
square, in which, at two or three sittings, some 4000 or 
5000 persons, men and women, were regaled with roast- 
beef. The policy is a good one, as the Company wish, 
through the assistance of these people, to extend their 
road; and the sight of the locomotive — a novelty to most 
of these people — gives them a better idea of its power, 
and of the advantages that will result to themselves from 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 277 

the passage of its train through their country, than all 
that could be written or said upon the subject. 

I was pleased to see these people (for in this part of 
Alabama there is a greater portion of whites than in the 
more southern counties) sit down to table, male and fe- 
male, with happy faces, and an evident purpose to do 
honor to the liberality of the Kailroad Directors ; and 
with equal pleasure, not unmingled with astonishment, 
did I see the huge joints of meat vanish before the magical 
touches of these sons of Alabama. There was afterwards 
a grand dinner at the hotel, of which w^e partook. In the 
evening the festive rites closed with a ball, where all the 
beauty of the country was assembled. I found them edu- 
cated, w^ll-bred, and lady-like, which I had not expected 
in a country comparatively so new. But this beautiful 
valley of the Tennessee River can hardly be considered a 
new country. It was sought and settled by wealthy men, 
and like Minerva sprang at once full-grown into existence. 
The roads were no sooner opened, and the new occupants 
established in their spacious mansions, around wdiich the 
broad acres of cotton whitened the land, than the stranger 
or the old and honored friend from Virginia or Kentucky 
was received and entertained in the olden style of hospital- 
ity, and with a profusion and liberality nowhere excelled. 

We dined to-day wdth Colonel S , one of the 

wealthiest planters of the Valley, whose residence is half 
a mile from the town. He is a Virginia gentleman of 
the old school, and his wife a Georgia lady, in whom I 
found all the suavity so beautifully combined with dig- 
nity of manner which marks the Southern women. 

I have written a long letter, and my watch informs 
me I have gone deeply into the night; but I have been 
much interested in our visit to the Valley of the Tennes- 
see, and I wished to tell you all about it. Good night, 
my dear father. 
24 



278 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Major McCall is requested to ride out in time to take some 
of the Veal of " Amalbura" to-day with Mrs. Bowman and 
her worthy husband. I send my horse for him. He will 
receive herewith the record of the court in the case of Lieu- 
tenant S , whose fastidious notion of his own reputation 

has led him into the great error of disregarding what is due 
to the feelings of others, — the laws of true honor, — and what 
is due to the other sex. The scandal was indeed very pro- 
voking, but the apology of the husband — verbal apology — 
was amply sufficient. The magnanimity of a gentleman of 
true courage will never allow him to demand an apology tend- 
ing in any wise to degrade him by whom it is voluntarily 
offered. Kespectfully, 



E. P. Gaines. 



Saturday morning, June 6, 1835. 



Memphis, October 3, 1835. 

Dear : I have recently returned from a little 

expedition into Arkansas. In August last I learned that 
there were grouse (the pinnated grouse) in a prairie on 
this side of the Arkansas River^ and one hundred and 
twenty miles w'est of the Mississippi River. I then deter- 
mined, if an opportunity offered, to escape from my labors 
here for ten days, to pay them a visit. Early in Septem- 
ber the much-desired opportunity occurred. I set out on 
the afternoon of the sixth, with George, the two horses, 
Grouse, the gun, and plenty of ammunition. 

I arranged wdth Captain Bowman, an old and valued 
friend, of the Engineer Corps of the Army, wdio is here 
under orders to locate a road from this point to Little 
Rock, and Mr. Gholson, a most estimable gentleman re- 
siding here, to meet me at Strong's Ferry, on the St. 
Francis River, sixty miles from Memphis, on the tw^entieth 
of the month, under the promise to give them there a 
grouse-supper, to which they were to contribute the wine. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 279 

All tlie preliminaries having been amieably settled, I 
crossed the Mississippi in a ferry-boat, mounting Redbird, 
and followed by the other members of my party. I 
pushed on to reach a very comfortable stand twenty miles 
distant before nightfall. There we arrived without acci- 
dent at dusk, and were comfortably established for the 
night. The next day we went to Strong's by two o'clock 
p. M., and learning there that there was a good house fif- 
teen miles further on, I continued my journey, and arrived 
at my destination at sunset, making that day fifty-five 
miles. The whole distance from the Mississippi to the St. 
Francis, sixty miles, is through swamp and cane-break 
country, which at the time of the June flood in the upper 
Missouri and Mississippi rivers is overflowed, and from one 
to three or four feet under water. It was at this time dry, 
except on the margins of Blackfish Creek, which we forded. 
From the west bank of the St. Francis to the house 
where I stopped that niglit the country was rather high 
and rolling, and was clothed w^ith a good growth of oak 
and hickory timber, indicating a good soil. The only 
game I saw was a brace of gobblers. The next morning I 
was in the saddle as soon as it was light. It was forty- 
five miles to Mrs. Black's, my destination, and of that dis- 
tance twenty must be made before I reached the prairie. 
I was of course eager to get upon the prairie, as I contem- 
plated finding grouse in traversing the plain to Mrs. 
Black's. Five miles on our way we came to a deep ravine, 
at the bottom of which flowed a little rivulet. An old 
bridge spanned the ravine, the appearance of which was so 
forbidding that, as I entered upon it, I cautioned George 
not to follow me too closely lest the united weight of our 
horses might prove too much for it. I proceeded carefully, 
selecting the least decayed portions of the flooring, but had 
not reached the middle when Redbird's hind legs went 
completely through, and his belly rested on a cross-tie. 



280 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

It was an ugly predicament ; my feet rested on the floor, 
and not a thought could have passed before I was lifting my 
right leg to relieve him of my weight, when " his cIocJc- 
work and steam'^ were brought into requisition. His 
forefeet were on sound timber, and by one of those power- 
ful efforts he sometimes made, he threw himself out, with 
my weight upon his back, — I really cannot tell, nor 
could I see then how. I immediately dismounted and 
led him forward a few paces, when I discovered that the 
only injury he had received was a rather ugly scratch on 
the inside of each thigh. " Was there ever such a horse ! " 
I exclaimed to George, who had been looking on in amaze- 
ment, from which he had not yet recovered when I told him 
to dismount. By picking our way, we got safely over. At 
ten o'clock we reached White River, and were ferried over. 
Six miles further would bring me to the prairie ; this dis- 
tance was performed in an hour; and in another hour, as we 
travelled the road. Grouse, while ranging in front, came upon 
and stood a pack of his namesakes. These were the first 
birds of the kind he had ever met with, and he stood like 
an old dog who had passed his life among them. I dis- 
mounted and knocked over two of the eight that rose. As 
they went ofP a good way to the left of our course, I did 
not follow them. I will merely add that we travelled at a 
fair pace, and I reached Mrs. Black's before sunset, having 
bagged seven grouse, one of which I shot from the saddle 
as he rose almost in front of Redbird. I found in Mrs. 
Black a widow of goodly proportions : I have seen fatter 
women, but not many. 

She had several sons and daughters growing up. She 
kept a public (being the half-way) house between Little 
Rock and White River. The house was a log building, a 
point of fine timber land stretching out from the south to 
within half a mile of the house, which was one of those 
structures called in the West " two pens and a passage/' 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 281 

wlilcli means two rooms from ten to twenty feet apart^ the 
whole under one roof. One of these was the dining-room, 
the other the sleeping-room ; the kitchen and other apart- 
ments occupied by the family, built likewise of logs, were 
in the rear. 

When I arrived, there was no company at the house, and 
I had the room in which there were four single beds all to 
myself, and Grouse slept under my bed. This happy 
state of things continued for four days. My routine was 
to have the horses saddled after breakfast, when I would 
ride out to north, south, or east, accompanied by George, who 
was always ready to hold my horse if I dismounted. I 
roamed anywhere at liberty, for there was not a farm as far 
as I could see on the prairie, except my landlady's. 

On the fifth day there came at eventide six ^' 7'afters/^ as 
the timber-cutters are called, in reference to their forming 
the timber into rafts, which they float down the rivers 
when the waters are high. These men were from White 
River, and were on their way to Little Hock. As there 
were seven of us to occupy the sleeping-room, and only 
four beds, there would have to be some doubling when the 
sleeping arrangements came under consideration. There- 
fore after supper, Avhen I saw that bedtime was drawing 
nigh, I retired to my own bed, or the one I had always 
occupied, Avhich stood in the upper corner of the room, 
while the other three stood side by side against the oppo- 
site wall. Grouse took his post, and I felt perfectly secure 
against the invasion of my premises. Almost immediately 
after I was ensconced, five of the party came in and very 
quietly went to bed, four of them occupying two of the 
cots, and the fifth taking the third cot. In a few minutes 
the sixth "rafter'' made his appearance, and, having di- 
vested himself of coat and boots, walked towards my bed. 
1 lay still, confident as to the result ; and as the man 
came to the bedside, Grouse met him with a low growl ; 
24* 



282 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

the man quietly walked round to the opposite side, where 
Grouse met him in like manner. 

"Why, what a queer dog this is ! '' said he, turning to 
his comrades. 

" Oh ! you 'd better come here. You '11 have trouble 
there,'' said the one who was alone. Whereat he who pur- 
posed participating with me the downy couch, turned 
about, quietly put out the candle, and turned in with his 
friend. This custom of sharing one's bed with a friend is 
so common from Virginia to Mississippi, where they only 
throw off coat and boots, that when John M. Botts boasted 
in Congress of his intimacy with President John Tyler, 
and exemplified it by stating that "/le had slept with the 
Presidentj^ he certainly had no great enduring fellowship 
to pride himself upon, if the thing occurred while on the 
circuit of county courts, and where the inn happened to be 
over-crowded as is too often the case. Nevertheless, although 
^^ poverty may make us acquainted loith strange bedfellows ^^^ 
I did not at the moment feel that I was reduced to that 
strait, and I had made up my mind to oppose the in- 
trusion in the mildest manner possible, if it came to the 
worst. But I had confidence in Grouse, and I thought I 
would leave it in the first place to him. These men Avere 
orderly, well-behaved people in every respect. I did not 
hear an oath or a vulgar expression from one of them 
while they were in the house. In the morning after 
breakfast, they proceeded as they came — on foot — to 
Little Rock. For three days more, I enjoyed undisturbed 
possession of the castle, and the whole extent of territory 
around. I shot grouse wheresoever I pleased and without 
let. I always found them abundant, and I continued to 
shoot until I was cloyed with success. They were in per- 
fect condition for the table, and I feasted on grouse at 
breakfast, dinner, and supper, daily. At length the time 
came to turn my face homeward. The weather had 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 283 

been too warm to think of keeping the birds to take home 
with me, even if I had the means to carry them. I there- 
fore decided to attempt to take no more than I might kill 
the day before starting, and such as I might pick np on 
the way across the prairie. On the day appointed, I did 
not go out until after dinner ; and late in the afternoon, 
coming upon good ground, I bagged fifteen birds between 
four o'clock and sunset. These Geor2:e ^^ drewP as fast as 
they were killed, and hung carefully upon his horse. The 
next morning the horses were brought to the door, and I 
asked the landlady for my bill. Her mild reply was, — 

" You owe me nothing, sir. You have fed my family 
and my guests on grouse all tlie time you have been here, 
and I could not think of taking anything from you." 

All that I could say did not move the good old lady, 
and I was actually compelled to force a banknote into her 
hand, which I did with many thanks for her attention to 
all my orders or requests. As I mounted my horse, the 
good woman bestowed upon me her best wishes for a safe 
and pleasant journey. 

How gratifying these little incidents always are to me, 
where they exhibit the native good heart, unsullied by 
contact and intercourse with the selfish and grasping 
world. It was a charming day, with a delightful breeze 
upon the plain. I again examined a range of small 
mounds near the centre of the plain, which I had noticed 
as I first crossed. They were about ten feet in diameter, 
and four to five feet high. The earth had apparently been 
brought from a distance, for there was no perceptible 
depression around the mound itself They were sixty 
in number, in line from east to west, with an interval 
of twenty feet between them, being parallel to the road 
and but a short distance from it. Here is perhaps the 
widest part of the prairie, as it extends probably fifty 
miles or more to the north, and twenty to the south. 



284 LETTERS FR03I THE FRONTIERS, 

For two miles east and the same distance west of 
these mounds, the surface is a coarse gravel, producing 
only a scant growth of weeds ; or perhaps, more properly 
speaking, I should say, plants whose properties, whether 
valuable or otherwise, we are unacquainted with ; while 
beyond this ridge, running north and south in either 
direction, the soil is good, and is clothed with a heavy mat 
of grass. This ridge, although of but slight elevation, ap- 
peared to me to be the summit level, or dividing ridge, 
between the waters which flow into the White River and 
those that yield their tribute to the saline flood of the 
Arkansas. And although it might be difficult to designate 
the point where, if you should pour out a bucket of water 
upon the ground, one half would flow to the Arkansas 
River and the other half to the White River, yet I am 
persuaded that these mounds have been designedly erected 
by some primitive race of men, who intended to crown the 
summit of the land between the two rivers, — whether as 
a place of sepulture or not, I will not pretend to say. 

Of course I had not time to look into them for pottery 
or implements of stone ; nor had this ever been done, as far 
as I could learn. I bagged six grouse in addition to the 
fifteen I had with me, and arrived at White River just in time 
to be ferried over, before a violent rain-storm came heavily 
upon us. I was comfortably established before a good fire 
in the public room at the inn, which was upon the river- 
bank, when a party of rafters, or timber-cutters, seven in 
number, came in. They had been on a hunt up the river 
that day, and had killed a bear. They were drenched 
with rain, and shivering in their thin clothes. Gathering 
round the fire, they called for a decanter of whisky; and 
wlien it was placed upon the table, they with much civility 
invited me to take a glass with them. I drank with them, 
and they gave me an animated account of their hunt. But 
before supper Avas ready, they had finished the bottle and 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 285 

oallecl for another. Again they invited me to drink. I 
excused myself^ which I thought I could see chagrined 
some of them. However, I kept my seat by the fire and 
listened to their discourse. There was no coarse language 
used, but I could see that the liquor they had drunk had 
warmed their tempers and loosened their tongues, and I 
thought it barely possible I might have trouble with some 
one of them. I therefore scrutinized them closely to see 
which was the strongest man among them, — I mean he who 
seemed to have the strongest will, who appeared to have 
a commanding or controlling influence over the others. I 
soon fixed upon my man, and determined, when supper 
should be over, to make him my friend in case I should 
want an ally in the course of the evening. Supper was at 
length placed upon a table in the room where we sat. We 
all sat down to a very substantial as Avell as well-prepared 
meal ; and all went off very quietly and properly. I had 
a famous appetite after my ride, and did full justice to the 
White-River cuisine. After supper I took a cigar; and 
seating myself by the man I had selected, I offered him 
one. This opened the way to conversation, and I found 
him an intelligent and energetic fellow, and in fact the 
chief of the party, though all were in the employ of the 
man who owned the inn. The latter was aw^ay ; and there 
were only the women about the house. At once I took 
quite a fancy to my head-man, who was not over one-and- 
twenty, but of a strong natural intellect, and perfect self- 
reliance. He felt flattered by my attention, and in return 
paid great deference, not only to myself, but to all that I 
said. He gave me quite an interesting account of the hard 
life these rafters lead, exposed to every hardship and priva- 
tion, and to the malaria of the regions in which they 
live. These men sat apart from the head-man and 
myself. Their conversation seemed to be, as I could 
at times catch the drift of it, a discussion of the claims 



286 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

of the several individuals as to whom should be awarded 
the honors due to the most daring hunter in the fight with 
Bruin. But before this point was settled, some one of the 
party proposed a game of Loo, which proposition meeting 
with decided approval, a table was soon arranged ; and 
seated around it, with a bottle of whisky and a single 
glass in the centre, were the six bear-hunters or rafters, 
deeply engaged in a game of picayune loo. 

My new friend, whose name was King, declined to join 
the party, some of whom I recognized as the same I had 
seen at Mrs. Black's ; and they were, as ever, quiet and well- 
behaved, although they indulged freely in the ar dents. 

About ten o'clock, King called in the w^oman of the 
house, and asked her which room she had prepared for the 
stranger. A bedroom adjoining the sitting-room was 
pointed out, and my young friend then said, — 

''Whenever you wish to retire, I'll turn these fellows 
out of the room." 

I assured him they would not disturb me in the least ; 
but he added, — 

" They '11 play all night, and you will get no sleep." 

He then walked up to the party, and told them they 
must go out upon the piazza ; the storm had settled into 
a steady rain, and the night was a dark and dreary one. 
The men looked up at King, and a slight murmur, in 
which I could only distinguish the word " rain," arose 
from one of them. King at once replied, — 

" Stranger is going to retire — and you must move." At 
the same time he laid his hand upon the table. 

The men rose, and without further parley carried their 
table out upon the open piazza. One of them went for a 
lantern, and as he returned with it, I perceived he had re- 
plenished their bottle. King then bade me good-night and 
retired as well as myself. Whenever I happened to awake 
during the night, I could hear the distant sound of voices 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 287 

above the pattering of the rain ; but I believe there was 
no quarrelling. I was uj) and dressed by the first light 
of day, as I purposed riding ten miles to breakfast, at a 
house that King had recommended to me. I ordered the 
horses, and when I walked out upon the piazza, the light 
was still burning in the lantern upon the table, and the 
players were just settling up scores. 

The rain was still falling in unfrequent drops, though 
the clouds were breaking up and the promise was of a 
fair day. I mounted and rode away, not having seen 
King, who was probably still asleep. As I rode on, the 
sun rose bright, and the morning was charming just in 
proportion as the road which led through a rich river- 
bottom-land was abominably bad. 

I was detained one hour at tlie breakfast house, but was 
restored to good temper by an excellent meal. Again 
pushing on, we dismounted at the broken bridge, and led 
our horses over this time without accident. I reached 

Strong's at sunset, and found the Captain and G 

just arrived. We had a most joyous greeting, and I 
promised them a royal grouse-feast. George, who had 
served two years in Nashville under a pastry-cook, was a 
capital hand on such an occasion as this. I directed him to 
have half a dozen of the grouse prepared ; to take off the 
entire breast of each, which he was to roast before a quick 
fire. The breast of this grouse is extremely long, broad, 
and full for the size of the bird, and is at this season, 
while still feeding solely on the grass-seeds, juicy and of 
delicate flavor ; but the back, the sides, and the legs are 
skinny and hard. Each of my friends had brought in his 
saddle-bag a bottle of sherry. Our table was set in a side 
parlor, and George brought on three of the breasts, done 
to a turn. These were discussed with a bottle of wine 
and pronounced perfect. 

George returned in the nick of time with three more 



288 LETTERS FROM TEE FRONTIERS, 

grouse, (for I regard the nobly developed breast of this 
bird as the only edible portion,) which proved equal to 
the first, and were equally appreciated. A bumper of 
wine and a good cigar wound up an evening highly en- 
joyed by my two truly valued friends, as well as myself. 
On the second day at noon we reached Memphis. I had 
brought with me fifteen grouse in perfect condition, which 
I distributed among my friends. Long shall I cherish 
the memory of this pleasant visit to Mrs. Black's Half- 
way House on the Big Prairie of Arkansas. Adieu. 



Brownsport, Perry County, September 3, 1835. 

Dear Str : — I received this morning, on my return to this 
place, your communications of the 15th, 17th, and 20th of 
last month, with their several enclosures, which will receive 
my immediate attention. The letter from Mr. Harris of Lake 
Providence, taken in connection with the other information 
which I have received upon the same subject in reference to the 
incendiary measures employed to foment an insurrectionary 
spirit among the blacks, I deem to be so important as to 
require my return without delay to Headquarters, where I 
shall take such precautionary measures as the case demands 
and as the means confided to me will admit of. I shall ac- 
cordingly set forward for Memphis to-morrow morning, and 
see you a day or two after this letter reaches you. I shall 
ride to Jackson, and there take the stage. The health of 
Mrs. Gaines is much improved. She will remain [at the 
Springs — (r. J.. J/.] some weeks longer. She and Edmund 
unite with me in good wishes, and prayers for your health 
and happiness. Edmu:nd P. Gaines. 



Memphis, October 20, 1835. 

My attention has been bent strictly upon my work, 
since my return from Arkansas, in order to bring up the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 289 

lee-way made during my absence. The only recreation I 
allow myself, is an hour's gallop every afternoon from four 
to five. A few evenings since, I was going to intersect 
the Nashville road a mile or two in advance by a woods- 
road that crosses the Bayou Guyoso a short distance 
above where it falls into Wolf River, which in turn 
empties its waters into the Mississippi just above the town. 
The Guyoso, an inconsiderable spring-brancli at low- 
3vater or at ordinary times, becomes a torrent when heavy 
rains flood the lands which it drains, and it has cut its 
way through a ridge below the bridge on the Nashville 
road, making a ravine fifteen or eighteen feet deep. Over 
this gulf has been thrown a bridge one hundred feet long; 
it rises from the abutment to a centre pier at least eight 
feet, and at once descends again at the same grade to the 
opposite abutment, like the roof of a house, but is not 
wide enough for two carriages or wagons to pass each 
other on its floor. Neither a horseman nor the driver of 
a vehicle can discern, as he enters upon the bridge, another 
vehicle entering upon the bridge at the same time upon 
the opposite end. Such was precisely the case with re- 
spect to myself on the occasion I refer to. I entered 
upon the bridge and walked my horse up the steep with- 
out dreaming of meeting anything, as the road is but 
little used. It was not till I came near the summit that 
I discovered an ox-cart with a negro driver, meeting me. 
We were not twenty feet apart. I said to myself, " A 
horseman certainly can pass that cart;'' and so he might 
nine times out of ten, ordinarily ; but it curiously enough 
happened that just as I came to the centre panel on the 
left where there seemed to be more room, and which side 
I had in consequence taken, I discovered that the rail of 
that panel (the only one on the bridge that was so) was 
unmistakably off and gone. Still there was plenty of 
room for my horse to pass, and a hundred to one he would 
25 T 



200 LETTERS EROM THE ERONTIERS, 

safely pass. My horse and the oxen met directly opposite 
the middle of this open panel, and singularly coincident 
it was that at this very moment the ox next to me threw 
his head around to the right to brush a fly or something 
of the kind from his shoulder, when the point of his long 
horn gave Red bird a good punch in the shoulder ; it was 
a violent shock to the irritable temperament of my spirited 
steed. He reared and at the same time whirled from the 
ox, and as he faced outward, I perceived to my horror that^ 
his fore-feet extended beyond the edge of the bridge. 
Oh ! how wonderful is the action of the human mind at 
such a time. I clearly saw, that, whichever way I might 
attempt to rein him, his fore-feet could not be brought 
back upon the bridge, and that we must turn a somerset 
together of at least eighteen or twenty feet perpendicular 
height. I as clearly saw, that my only chance was to 
leap him from the bridge. All this passed through my 
mind as distinctly as I now write it ; the resolve was as 
decidedly made and put in action like one flash of light. 
While the horse was thus in the air, I drove my spurs 
into his flanks with all my might. His lunge was tre- 
mendous, and we alighted, all right, full twenty feet from 
the foot of the pier off* the top of which we came. We 
alighted just at the edge of the water in stiff" mud, into 
which Redbird sunk up to the knees, and there he stood un- 
able to move a peg. He had lighted in the clayey bottom 
from his eighteen or twenty feet flight through the air like 
a bird, and I assure you did not even jar me in the saddle. 
Had it been stony or hard ground, it would have been 
very different. As Redbird did not stir, I turned in the 
saddle to take a look at where I had come from. There 
I saw the negro driver standing on the edge of the bridge, 
liolding up in his hand a horse-shoe. He exclaimed, — 

''Lor' bress you, Massa! your horse jump clean out of 
his shoes.'^ 



BY GEORGE A. MrCALL. 291 

My horse had, indeed, thrown off one of his hind shoes 
as I launched him oif the bridge. By this time I thought 
it was well to see whether Redbird had any legs left ; so 
I moved him with the spur, saying, "■ You brought me here 
on your back, you must take me out on your back." He 
took it very quietly — first working his left fore-leg until 
he got it loose, then the right in the same manner; this 
took about two minutes, after which he succeeded in draw- 
ing these limbs out clear, when he threw himself forward 
and plunged and scrambled till he drew his hind-legs 
after him. This much accomplished, of course he did not 
sink so much again. And after a good struggle he brought 
me to terra firma once more. I was rejoiced to find that 
he was not strained, or in any way injured by his adven- 
ture. So I finished my ride without dismounting. 

I don't think I have ever referred in my letters to the 
*^ Buffalo-gnat," a little fellow about half the size of a house- 
fly, with a great hump upon his back, and as much like the 
great American Bison or Buffalo as a creature so minute 
could bear close resemblance to one so gigantic and outre; 
indeed the likeness is so striking as to be absolutely ludi- 
crous. But diminutive as he is, his power to destroy is fear- 
ful. When first I came here, I heard the almost incredible 
fact, that the year previous forty-two horses had been 
thrown over the bluff into the Mississippi in two consec- 
utive days, killed by the poisonous bite of this gnat. The 
truth of this assertion is substantiated by the Avhole pop- 
ulation of the town, and there can be no doubt about it. 
The pestiferous little monster, 1 am under the impression, 
attacks horses only ; I have never heard of its troubling 
other beasts, or man, either white or bLack. The points 
of the quadrupeds it assails are the lips and nostrils occa- 
sionally ; but chiefly the thin skin unprotected by the 
hairy coat, on the lower and after part of the body. 
Where these parts are left unprotected, the gnats crowd 



292 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

upon tlienij and the poison of their bite is so acrid that 
death ensues in a few hours. By rubbing the horse's 
flanks and exposed parts with fish-oil, or a strong decoc- 
tion of walnut-leaveSj the gnats may be kept off, if not 
numerous and not very eager and vehement. There are 
a few liere every summer, but they are deterred from 
lighting upon a horse by the precautions I have made 
reference to. I have sometimes seen one or two flying 
round the head of my horse while riding out, but I have 
never had a horse bitten by one. 

In August last it was reported that a boat-load of horses 
had been landed above the mouth of Wolf Kiver, and that 
all or nearly all had been killed before the next morning. 
In order to satisfy myself of the truth of the report, I 
walked down to the mouth of Wolf River, got a boat, and 
crossed over. Right by the mouth of the river I found a 
very respectable man and his son encamped. The man 
told me that he had left Louisville in a flat-boat with 
twelve valuable, blooded horses for the New Orleans 
market; that, arriving here on Saturday evening, he 
landed his horses, in order to lie by on Sunday. He 
knew nothing about the gnat ; that his horses were attacked 
on Sunday without his being aware of it ; and that by 
Monday morning, (the day I was with him,) when he arose, 
to his astonishment, eleven of his horses were dead or dying. 
There was a fine gray hitched near the fire, the only one, 
he said, left to him. I walked round among the trees, 
and counted, within fifty yards of the tent, the eleven fine 
horses lying dead. It was a sad sight, and a heavy loss 
to the owner.* Adieu. 

* In the Fhiladelphia Inquirer, in May last, I tliink, I saw the following 
extract from a Memphis paper: — 

"Memphis, April 22, 1867. The BuflFalo-gnats are destroying the 
stock along the river. One planter, near Commerce, lost fifty head 
last week." 

The writer does not say what the stock was, though, from the num- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 293 

[note. 

On board the Steamer Mississippi, January 28, 1836 

Suddenly at this time, the massacre of Major Dade's com- 
mand in Florida by the Seminole Indians, on the 25th of De- 
cember last, startled the whole country. The steamer which 
brought this intelligence from New Orleans to Memphis, also 
brought us information that General Gaines, who happened 
just then to be making an inspection of the Southern forts, 
had called upon the Governor of Louisiana for a regiment 
of volunteers, with which, and the garrisons of the several 
military posts on the immediate seaboard, consisting of artil- 
lery of the regular army, he was about to sail for the theatre 
of this sad catastrophe. I got upon the first steamer, the 
Mississippi, downward bound, anxious to join the expedition 
which was to carry me back to scenery in that land which 
nature seemed to have modelled as the paradise of the red man 
and his offspring, the children of the forest, — scenery which 
had so often in former days been stamped upon my memory 
with associations of the most agreeable character, — lovely 
scenery, which, alas ! had already become the theatre of 
conflict and bloodshed !] 



[Extracts from Letters dated Feb. 1 and 9, and April 10, 1836.] 

New Orleans, February i, 1836. 

My dear Father: — I joined the General here this 
afternoon, and as I may not again have time to write 
before we sail, I snatch a few moments to give you the 
news in this quarter. The papers have doubtless given 
you the accounts of Indian hostilities in Florida. Since the 
attack on Dade's command. General Clinch has had a hand- 
some fight with them near Fort King. With tw^o hundred 
men he was engaged about one hour with five hundred 
Indians, and at length drove them from the swamp with 

ber, it is probable the greater part were horned cattle, and that would 
show that horses are not the only sufferers, — although I never heard, 
while at Memphis, of other animals being attacked. 

25- 



294 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

loss. The militia from the upper part of Florida and 
Georgia had returned home as soon as the excursion on 
which they started began to assume a business-like aspect. 

We sail for Fort Brooke (Tampa Bay) on the morning 
of the 3d instant, with two hundred of the 4th Regi- 
ment of Infantry, and about five hundred volunteers from 
this place. At Fort Brooke there are about two hundred 
men, with which reinforcement the General will proceed 
to Fort King, one hundred and thirty miles north, and 
effect a junction with Clinch; thence to bring the Semi- 
nolcs to a reckoning. 

To-morrow will be a busy day, preparing to embark on 
the following, but I will write to you from Tampa. 



Fort Brooke, Tampa Bay, ) 
Feb. 9, 1836. I 

My dear Father : — We arrived here this afternoon 
after a pleasant passage, though a little rough. I was the 
only one, I believe, of the General's staff who was not sea-sick. 

We found Major Mountfort, whom you have seen, shut 
up in pickets, where he has been confined for some Aveeks. 
We have now encamped around him four hundred and 
fifty regulars and about six hundred volunteers. In ad- 
dition to which force we have about one hundred friendly 
Indians, many of whom are old acquaintances of mine. 
A small party of them had a brush with a detachment of 
the enemy yesterday, a few miles from the pickets. It is 
not known in what force they are in our neighborhood ; 
but we shall be prepared to take the field by to-morrow 
evening, and the current opinion, particularly among the 
volunteers, is, that we will bring the campaign to a speedy 
close. Yet it is much to be apprehended that the Semi- 
noles will retreat to the lower part of the peninsula, and 
cause the troops much fatigue to bring them to bay. 

I, who have known the Seminoles, well and fully ap- 
preciate their character as a warlike people, whose spirit 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 295 

and temper is easily read in their proud and independent 
bearing, have predicted, wildly you will say, a seven 
years^ war. But I know enough of the country in the 
lower part of the peninsula, to which of course they will 
retire when we push them vigorously, to fully compre- 
hend the difficulties that await the white man when he 
follows the savage into the almost inaccessible ^^ Big Cy- 
2)ress Swcunp" which, if accessible, is impenetrable and 
impassable to the soldier who is encumbered with an accu- 
mulation of impediments, from which the naked Indian is 
as free as the wolf. The knowledge I possess of this 
country I obtained from several Indians, especially from 
Jumper, who had hunted there regularly for many winters 
at the time I served in Florida formerly. These men 
always came in here to dispose of their peltry to the sut- 
tler of the regiment ; whereas they previously were obliged 
to pack them on their horses across the country to St. 
Augustine. Jumper is one of the most intelligent men of 
the nation, and I have no doubt that his description of the 
country, given at a time when no apprehension of war 
with the United States was entertained, may be fully relied 
upon. This country, he stated, absolutely abounded in 
game of every description, and that the ^^ koonta,'' a very 
good species of the arrow-root, grew plenteously every- 
where. Thus the Indians may live and grow fat on the 
borders of the ^' Big Cypress," and when the troops invade 
the country that environs the Great Swamp, which covers an 
immense region, reaching from shore to shore, they have 
only to step into the water and at once place a formidable 
barrier between the enemy and their retreat. I am called 
to attend to the issue to the friendly Indians of such arms 
and ammunition as they may require. Adieu. 



New Orleans, March 20, 1836. 

My dear Father : — My letter from Fort Drane has 
already informed you of the General's having left the seat 



296 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS. 

of war in Florida, to assume command on the Texas frontier. 
On our ride through the country to Tallahassee, the in- 
habitants manifested the most lively feelings of admira- 
tion of the old hero's conduct, — a very striking contrast 
to the sentiments that Scott has been so unfortunate as to 
call forth in that section of the country, where he has 
managed to render himself exceedingly unpopular 

At Tallahassee the General took the stage to Pensacola. 
I proceeded to St. Mark's, and there embarked for Tampa 
Bay, where some duties required me to be present. 

Santa Ana has had some success of late in Texas; and 
to keep a proper eye on our interests on that border. Gen. 
G. may be detained there some time ; but I shall be better 
able to give you an idea of what w^ill be our movements 
when I reach that point. 



On board Steamer America. \ 
Mississippi River, April 23, 1836. J 

My dear F.vther : — On the morning after I wrote 
to you at Natchitochez (in March last), I succeeded in pur- 
chasing a steed — a line high-spirited Texan horse — and 
at an early hour set out to join the General, who, as I 
learned, had marched from Fort Jessup (twenty-five miles 
hence) for the Sabine River, the boundary between our 
territory and Texas, now occupied by Santa Ana and his 
Mexican forces, numbering some six or seven thousand, as 
report declares, though, like other flying rumors, probably 
greatly amplified. Having stopped an hour at Fort Jessup 
to lunch and bait my horse, I mounted again and reached 
the Sabine, twenty-five miles further, before ^^ Retreat- 
heating^^ at sunset. The country I passed through was 
wild, but otherwise uninteresting. I found the General 
encamped with the troops ; and having called on the 
Quartermaster for a tent, I had it pitched near the Gen- 
eral ; and before night had fairly set in, I was well estab- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 297 

lished. A day or two after my arrival we had a visit 
from General Samuel Houston, of Texas notoriety, still 
lame from his wound in the ankle, received at the battle 
of San Jacinto, where he defeated the Mexicans under 
Santa Ana. His Excellency, Santa Ana himself, was 
taken prisoner the following day by a Kentucky soldier- 
boy of sixteen, who, while on a hunting-ramble, met a 
Mexican on foot, unarmed, muddy, and exhausted, wan- 
dering on the edge of a swamp, about a mile from Hous- 
ton's camp. The youth raised his rifle as the other was 
about to retire hastily from this unexpected and unwel- 
come meeting, and ordering him to " stand/' immediately 
faced him to the rightabout, marched him into camp, 
little dreaming who it was he had captured. In this way 
the President of Mexico was conducted through the Texan 
bivouao to Houston's tent, where Almonte, who had pre- 
viously been taken, was standing in conversation with the 
Texan hero. The Kentucky boy marched his prisoner up 
to his General, and was beginning to tell his story, when 
Almonte turned round, and suddenly uttering an excla- 
mation of surprise and anguish, sprang forward and em- 
braced his chief. I was told that " Old Sam,'' as he is 
called, maintained, on this occasion, the dignity due to his 
rank and station. He received Santa Ana quietly and 
without exhibiting the slightest exultation at finding this 
distinguished personage delivered into his hands so oppor- 
tunely. It may seem singular that the President of Mex- 
ico and General-in-Chief of the army in the field should 
have been caught in such woful plight. But when the 
Texans charged the little breastwork which the Mexicans 
had erected with the j^acks and pack-saddles of the army, 
their cry was, " liemember Fanninc/" (who had been cruelly 
put to death by Santa Ana), and their onset, fearfully im- 
petuous, carried them without pause over the breastwork, 
when, having discharged their rifles, they brained the 



£98 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

terror-stricken Mexicans with the butts of their guns. (One 
of Houston's staff told me that he saw, close at his side, a 
tall Tennesseean break the stock of his rifle over the head 
of his first opponent, and then seizing the long heavy 
barrel by the muzzle, he slew them right and left like 
sheep.) The terrific yells and shouts of the maddened 
Texans carried fear to the hearts of their enemy ; and the 
pervading sentiment among the defeated and disorganized 
" Greasers'' was, " sauve qui jpeut.'' In this general rush, 
Santa Ana becoming separated from his staff, had lost his 
horse in attempting to force him through a swamp, where 
he afterwards remained concealed during the night, and 
had just ventured out when captured. 

Nothing further of interest occurred during the time 
that I remained with the General ; and my time being 
fully or wholly engrossed with my bureau duties, I did 
not find an hour when I was not too completely worn out 
with writing to send you a line. On my way out to the 
Sabine, the road for many miles, before I reached the 
river, w^as literally lined with families fleeing from Texas. 
Most of them had left their all behind, a prey to the 
lawless of their own land, who did not fail to get the start 
of their enemies, and thus profit by the opportunities which 
a general panic afforded them. I constantly met women 
and children on foot, the images of suffering and despon- 
dency. The reports, however, of the approach of the 
Mexican forces, accompanied by large bodies of Indians, 
afterwards proved unfounded, and the inhabitants of the 
town of Nacogdochez, after a few days, were seen passing 
our camp in numbers, returning to their homes. Our 
troops are encamped half a mile from the river ; and exag- 
gerated reports of their strength having been wafted across 
the Rubicon, will probably deter the savages, if indeed 
they have been mustered in any force, from acts of hostility 
on our frontier people, until the militia or volunteers called 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 209 

for from the adjacent States arrive, and place the General 
at the head of a little army, equal in numbers to what has 
been represented. In the meantime, as the machinery of 
my office had got rather out of gear during my absence in 
Florida, and as no movement is likely to take place for a 
fortnight, I have taken advantage of the lull to run on to 
Memphis, and get some documents I require. This boat 
goes no further than Natchez, where we shall be in an 
hour, but there is a fine steamer in sight coming up and 
may overtake us. Upon her I shall jump and continue 
my voyage. I shall be detained but a couple of days, and 
returning with such books and papers as may be required, 
I hope to rejoin the General in a week or ten days. How 
long we may be detained on the Sabine, or in that region, 
it is impossible to say ; but I may be able to enlighten you 
further on my return to camp. Adieu. 



Camp on the Sabine River, May i, 1836. 

My dear Father: — When the news of Dade's mas- 
sacre reached me at JNIemphis, I stepped on board the first 
downward bound steamer on my w^ay to New Orleans, as 
already remarked, and reached there in time to sail with 
the troops. On our arrival at Fort Brooke, Tampa Bay, 
it was ascertained that the garrison, consisting of two 
companies of United States artillery, had had no commu- 
nication with General Clinch, commanding at Fort King, 
the old Indian Agency, since the 25tli December, 1835, the 
day on which Major Dade's command had marched from 
Fort Brooke. This detachment consisted of one company 
of the 2d Regiment United States Artillery, and one com- 
pany of the 3d Regiment. The officers were Captain G. 
W. Gardiner and Lieutenants W. E. Bassinger and R. 
Henden-.on of the 2d Regiment ; and Ca])tain U. S. Frazer 



300 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

and Lieiits. R. R. Mudo^e and J. L. Keais of the 2d Reo^I- 
ment, — in all numbering one hundred and eight men; 
and were to have been commanded by Captain Gardiner. 
The wife of this officer, however, was quite ill at the time ; 
and Bt. Major Dade, whose company formed part of the 
garrison, generously volunteered to take command of the 
detachment, and insisted on Captain Gardiner's remaining 
to take care of his wife. It was, indeed, so arranged ; 
Captain Gardiner, after much resistance, yielding to the 
solicitations of his friends. In the meantime, the master 
of a small vessel lying at the dock had agreed with a gen- 
tleman at the Fort to take himself and wife to Key West ; 
and Mrs. Gardiner having expressed great desire to ac- 
company this lady, it was at last decided by her husband 
that she should accompany her friends to Key West, and 
thence sail for New York or some other Northern port. 
Although very low, she was carried on board, and departed 
with her friends the same day. Nothing now remained 
to detain Captain Gardiner, and he made known his deter- 
mination to accompany his command ; but as Dade had 
volunteered to go in his stead, he offered to serve under 
the Major, if the latter still proposed to accompany them. 
It was thus that Dade fell into association and command 
of this most unfortunate but truly gallant little party, of 
whom ^'the whole command, save three, fell icWiout an attempt 
to retreat : '^ as stated in the official notice of the affiiir, by 
the Adjutant-General of the Army at Washington. As 
already stated, this devoted little band marched on Christ- 
mas day, and moved forward about ten miles to the Little 
Hillsborough, where they made their bivouac. Some 
hours after nightfall, a party of Indians, some forty or 
fifty apparently in numbers, were heard shouting their 
war-whoop, and singing war-songs. This was unmistak- 
able evidence of their determination to fight, if an attempt 
to remove them by force, which had been threatened by 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 301 

the Agent, Mr. Thompson, should be made ; and they cor- 
rectly construed the advance of this force in the direction 
of the Agency at Fort King, to reinforce that garrison, as 
the first move towards carrying that threat into effect. 
And now, pa?' parenthese, let me say, what I cannot re- 
frain from, namely, that this outbreak of the Seminoles, 
which I predict will prove to be a seven years' icar, and 
cost us fifty millions of dollars, has been brought about 
either by huge blundering, or by unfair dealings on the 
part of Government agents. The Treaty of Payne^s Land- 
ing (on the Saint John's River, made with these Indians 
by Colonel Gadsden, Special Agent of the Government 
some two years ago) was an agreement to this effect : that 
the Seminoles should send a delegation of seven chiefs to 
the west of Arkansas, and beyond the Cherokee Reserve^ 
to examine the country with respect to the character of 
the soil, the water, the sahvbrity of the climate, the game, 
and so forth ; that, npon the return of the delegates, the 
Seminole nation should be called together in council to 
hear their report, and take into consideration the proposi- 
tion laid before them by Colonel Gadsden, to give up their 
Florida possessions, and remove to the West, in considera- 
tion of certain inducements offered by the United States. 
In furtherance of this agreement, the chiefs designated 
set out to visit the country referred to. On their arrival 
at Fort Gibson, General Arbuckle, commanding that post, 
sent guides with thera, and they passed some weeks in a 
thorough exploration of the country. On their return. 
General Arbuckle by some means, but under what in- 
structions I know not, induced these chiefs to sign a treaty 
accepting the lands shown them, and ceding their Florida 
lands. In due time the delegation reached home, and a 
council was called : the report was made ; but it was not 
unanimous, some of the chiefs pronouncing the country 
they had visited, in every respect less desirable than their 
2G 



302 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

native land. In fine, it was decided in council, by a large 
majority, to decline the offer made by the United States. 
Soon after this, Thompson, the Agent, sent for Micanopy 
who had succeeded to the chieftainship on the death of 
Tuko-see-mathla, or John Hicks, and told him he must 
prepare his people to be moved by a certain day, as ships 
had been ordered to be at Tampa at the time stated to 
transport the Indians to New Orleans. Micanopy then 
for the first time made known to the Agent the decision 
of the nation in council assembled. This news was re- 
ceived by Thompson with great surprise and amazement. 
He told the chief that he must go home and sleep upon 
what he had been told, and that he must return in the 
morning and bring a better talk. Micanopy quietly re- 
tired; — he returned the next morning, when Thompson 
directed Abraham, — a negro, once a slave of Dr. Sierra 
of Pensacola, but for many yeaVs past claiming to belong 
to Micanopy, and now his interpreter, — to ask the chief 
what he had to say in reply to the Agent's order to pre- 
pare his people to embark at an early day at Tampa Bay. 
The question Avas put, and the answer returned by Abra- 
ham in these words : '^ The old man says to-day the same 
he said yesterday, ' that the nation had decided in council 
to decline the offer of the United States Goveimment.' " These 
are the very words as reported to me by Major William 
A. Graham, who was present at the interview. This 
negro, Abraham, exercised a wonderful influence over his 
master ; he was a very shrewd fellow, quick and intelli- 
gent, but crafty and artful in the extreme. For a negro, 
he had a remarkably high and broad forehead ; but an 
awful cast in his right eye, which gave to his gentle, in- 
sinuating manner a very sinister effect. I doubt not that 
he had on this occasion, as usual, much to do in keeping 
the chief, who was of a vacillating character, steady in his 
purpose. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 303 

Thompson repeated his threat^ that, if the Indians were 
not ready to embark at the time appointed, the troops 
would be called out. It was in compliance with his requi- 
sition made soon afterwards, that the detachment, the 
command of which had accidentally devolved upon Major 
Dade, marched to reinforce the garrison of Fort King. 
Such was tlie state of affairs on the 25th of December. 
The following are the facts I have been enabled to collect 
from the most reliable sources. On that night, as I have 
stated, and on the two niglits following, the Indians hung 
about the bivouac of the troops, whooping and occasion- 
ally firing their rifles, evincing in every way a highly 
exasperated state of feeling. At daybreak on the morn- 
ing of the 28tli, a very large proportion of the warriors 
of the nation had assembled at the point where the trail 
from Okahumpy, Micanopys town, intersects the military 
road ; and here it was proposed to attack the troops before 
they united with those at Fort King. Micanopy was 
undecided, until he was plainly told, as the troops ap- 
peared in sight, he must declare whether he was M-ith 
them or against them. This he clearly understood was 
the question of life or death to himself, and he replied, 
^^ I will show you;" and with that he took his position 
behind a pine-tree about thirty yards from the road. The 
rest of the Indians laid down in the high savannah grass 
with which the spot was covered, although the ground at 
this time was dry. The troops had an advance-guard of 
an officer and eight men, who were full two liundred yards 
in advance of the main body. Dade was the only officer 
who was mounted, and he was riding at the time by the 
side of Captain Frazer, who was in command of the 
advance-guard. Unsuspecting and too confident, notwith- 
standing the warning they had received, the party moved 
on; When the Major arrived opposite to where Micanopy 
had taken his stand, the chief raised his rifle, took delib- 



304 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

erate aim at him and fired. Dade fell dead from his horse, 
shot probably through the heart, as I should judge from the 
bullet-hole in his side, which I saw when General Gaines 
and his little band reached the battle-ground about two 
months afterwards. The body was stripped of coat and 
shirt, and although the flesh had shrunk, the skin was 
sound and as hard as parchment ; this was the case with 
all. But to resume my narrative, as received from private 
Clark (now with us), one of the three w^ounded men who 
escaped, and after incredible toil and suftering succeeded 
in reaching Fort Brooke. When Dade fell, the Indians 
who lay concealed in the tall grass rose, and with one volley 
laid low Captain Frazer and his eight men. They had, 
evidently, all been shot dead, — not a man had moved 
from the place where he fell, as they lay just in rear of the 
Major, each man occupying the position in which he had 
marched. The first intimation that Captain Gardiner and 
his command received of the extent of the disaster was the 
sight of Dade's horse running back riderless. The gallant 
Gardiner had scarcely time to put his command into line 
and unlumber his six-pounder gun, before he received the 
fire of the enemy, who advancing rapidly, was still con- 
cealed. The fire of the Indians was returned with effect, 
although the latter were widely extended, covering a semi- 
circle whose radius was the range of their rifles, and were 
concentrating their fire upon our troops ; the discharges of 
canister-shot from the fieldpiece were directed to different 
quarters, as found necessary. After about an hour's fight- 
ing, the Indians withdrew. They held a council at a 
short distance from the position occupied by our devoted 
band, as their voices could be distinctly heard as the 
chiefs addressed their warriors; and an hour passed 
before they came to the decision to renew the attack. 
This enabled Gardiner to throw up a log breastwork of 
the pine-trees growing on the ground where his men fell. 



BY GEOliGE A. McCALL. 805 

Meantime a small party was sent forward to the advance 
to bring in the wounded, or to render such assistance as 
might be required ; but the sad tale was soon told : the 
two gallant and valuable officers and the eight men had 
fallen in the service of their country, to rise no more till 
time should cease to roll on. The Indians now advanced 
to the second attack more fiercely than before ; the woods 
rang with their war-whoops ; and the crack of their rifles 
was as one incessant peal of sharp ringing bells, to which 
the loud reports of musketry and the booming of the 
artillery formed a fitting though fearful accompaniment. 
The Seminoles constantly closed in upon our brave fel- 
lows, who were as one to twenty of their enemies (the 
Indians being, as since ascertained, about two thousand 
strong). The proof how well our men fought, was seen 
by us in the dozens of musket-balls croAvded into single 
trees on the sides that faced the little breastwork not over 
three to four feet high. These shot had been fired at par- 
ticular Indians who fought from behind these trees. On 
the oth^r hand, the logs composing the breastwork, none 
of which were over eight inches at the butt, were filled on 
every side of the exterior with rifle-bullets of small size. 
I carefully examined our poor dear fellows, both officers 
and men, as they lay within tlie little fort, in posture either 
kneeling or extended on their breasts, the head in very 
many instances lying upon the upper log of their breast- 
work ; and I invariably found the bullet-mark in the 
forehead or the front of the neck. The picture of those 
brave men lying thus in their ^' sky-blue^' clothing, which 
had scarcely faded, was such as can never be effaced from 
my memory. As I have said in the case of Major Dade, 
the flesh had shrunk, but the skin remained whole, dried, 
smooth, and hard ; the hair and beard remained ; and the 
officers were all, I believe, recognized by those who knew 

them well. I readily recognized those with whom I had 
26* U 



/ 



306 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

been personally acquainted, — they were only two, Dade 
and Gardiner. The former was one of the senior cap- 
tains of my regiment when I joined it ; the latter had 
command of the company of bombardiers, sappers and 
miners at West Point, when I was admitted to the Mili- 
tary Academy as a cadet. Gardiner himself was a gradu- 
ate of that institution. There were but three or four of 
the men that had fallen backwards into the interior of the 
little work; the rest lay as regularly at right angles to one 
or other of the three faces of their little fort, the head 
lying on the top log, as I have said, or immediately below 
it, as if they had been toy-soldiers arranged by a child in 
his sport. Gardiner lay near the centre of the enclosure, 
where he had doubtless stood to overlook the scene and 
direct what should be done. In the beginning, or rather 
when the Indians retired from the first attack, he could 
not retreat without leaving his wounded to the tender 
mercy of the savages, which must be interpreted into 
being left to be tortured by the fiendlike foe. His noble 
spirit could not entertain such a thought, and his men 
catching enthusiasm from his gallant bearing, fought till 
their ammunition was exhausted, or until not a man was 
left to fire the last charge of powder and lead that remained 
to them. A nobler instance of self-devotion is not on 
record in the history of w^ars, ancient or modern. 

This narration I received from Clark, who was with 
General Gaines on this occasion. He had received three 
wounds, when the fire of the troops ceased entirely, and 
the Indians entered the little fort and dispatched with 
their knives some few in whom a ray of life still glim- 
mered, he (Clark) feigning death, lay still until the savages 
had exhausted their diabolical spirit in wreaking ven- 
geance on all in whom life still lingered ; then, as dark- 
ness cast its pall over the scene of cruel, unequal conflict, 
he ventured out ; and with bleeding and unstanched 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 307 

wounds he crawled onward^ Avith one knee on the ground, 
from which he was unable to raise it, and following the 
military road, in this condition at last reached Fort Brooke 
on the third day after the battle. His sufferings from 
hunger and thirst, as well as from his wounds and from 
the laborious mode of travelling his wounds compelled 
him to adopt, are almost incredible. But he related them 
to me in a quiet, simple way that would have carried con- 
viction of his truthfulness to the most skeptical listener. 

In addition to this, on our arrival at Fort King, I found, 
among a few Indians and negroes that had come in to that 
post, and given themselves up as loyal subjects of the 
United States Government, an old acquaintance in a negro, 
named August, whom I had known well in former days. 
He had ahvays proved himself an honest, truthful fellow. 

I had several conversations with him, and he corrobo- 
rated Clark^s account in every particular. He told me 
that he was present on the battle-ground, but did not enter 
into the fight. He said, moreover, that when the fire of 
the soldiers ceased entirely, the Indians advanced to the 
breast-work and entered it ; he went forward with them. 
As they entered the little fort, a young ofiicer, the only 
man of the whole command who was not killed or des- 
perately wounded, came forward to meet them ; he was a 
very handsome young man, dressed in a blue frock-coat. 
As the Indians came in, he advanced towards them and 
offered his sword ; but the man he offered it to was the 
very woi-st Indian in the nation, and he drew up his rifle 
and shot the young officer dead. As August said this, his 
voice grew a little husky, and he continued, — 

" When I saw that handsome young officer fall, the tears 
came into my eyes, and I cried like a child.^^ 

From Augustus description of the personal appearance 
of this officer, the officers present with us at Fort King, 
who knew the younger officers of Dade's command, were 



308 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

satisfied that it was Bassinger, who had thus early termi- 
nated a career which promised to be one of distinction as 
a military man, and of usefulness as a citizen of our com- 
mon country. 

I must now go back to bring up another branch of the 
sad narrative, which is necessary to the right understand- 
ing of this eventful war. 

The Governor of Louisiana having, in compliance with 
the requisition of General Gaines, called out a regiment 
of volunteers, under the command of Colonel Persifer F. 
Smith, for service in Florida, they embarked at once with 
part of the 4th Infantry, in a Brig; and two companies 
of artillery armed as infantry, (the garrisons of Fort Pike 
and Fort Wood,) and the remainder of the 4th Infantry, 
were put on board the little steamer Florida. On my 
arrival in New Orleans, on reporting to the General, he 
informed me that he had taken into his military family 
Captain Ethan Allen Hitchcock, who happened to be in 
the city, and who was acting as Assistant Adjutant-Gen- 
eral ; but, added he, " You will now resume your duties 
in that office, and I will appoint Hitchcock to the duties 
of Inspector-General. '^ 

All things now being in readiness, the General and his 
staff went on board the Florida, and we, in company, 
sailed for Pensacola, where it would be necessary to re- 
plenish our supply of wood and water, and fresh pro- 
visions. On our arrival at this port, the General found 
in the newspaper a copy of a General Order, assigning 
General Scott to the command of the troops in Florida 
who were to operate against the Seminole Indians. This 
was, as may well be supposed, a matter of surprise to the 
General ; for the Territory of Florida was divided by a 
north and south line, the western portion being comprised 
within the district commanded by General Gaines; the 
eastern in that of General Scott. As the war broke out 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 309 

in General Gaines' district, and no orders from Washing- 
ton had readied him, he, with the spirit and promptness 
of a true soldier, at once took command in person of his 
available forces, and proceeded to the scene of action. 
General Scott had not yet left New York ; the troops 
with Gaines, and especially the senior officers, were de- 
sirous that he should accompany them ; and the condition 
of affairs in Florida being unknown, altogether decided 
him to proceed with his command at least to Tampa Bay, 
where he could learn something further. With this view 
we put to sea again as soon as the necessary supplies were 
on board. As Ave entered the mouth of Tampa Bay, he 
directed me to address, in his name, a letter to General 
Scott, offering to him three distinct propositions : first, 
stating his willingness to turn over to Scott the troops, 
consisting of eleven hundred men, which he had brought 
from New Orleans, and to leave the conduct of the war 
entirely to Scott ; second, if Scott preferred to leave the 
country, that he (Gaines) would take upon himself the 
prosecution of the campaign ; and third, that they should 
at the same time commence operations on opposite sides 
of the peninsula, move simultaneously towards the centre, 
and let the only strife be, who should render the better 
service to the country. This letter I wrote and handed 
to the General for his signature, which was duly affixed; and 
the letter was left in my possession, with instructions to 
have it forwarded by the earliest opportunity after wo 
had landed. The next day we landed, and learned from 
the commanding officer at Fort Brooke, that no intelli- 
gence of any nature or from any source had been received 
of the state of affairs at Fort King, where General Clinch 
was with a small force ; it being doubtful whether he had 
been attacked by the Indians or not. 

Under these circumstances, Gaines felt it incumbent on 
him to proceed to Fort King, as Clinch might be belea- 



310 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

guered, in want^ and unable to send for supplies and sup- 
port. It was decided to move the next morning at day- 
light. IMeantime the troops were organized into a "Light 
Brigade/' the 4th Regulars, Br. Licut.-Colonel W. S. Foster 
commanding; the Louisiana Volunteers, Colonel P. F. 
Smith commanding ; and a battalion of 3d Artillery armed 
as infantry, Brevet-Major F. S. l3clton commanding. 
The brigade was under command of Lieutenant-Colonel 
D. E. Twiggs, 4th Infantry ; 1st Lieutenant I. F. Izard, 
1st Dragoons, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General; Cap- 
tain S. Shannon, Brigade Quartermaster. Twelve horses 
only were brought from New Orleans with the brigade ; 
these I was directed by the General, after consultation 
with Captain Shannon, to distribute as equally as possible 
to the officers commanding regiments, &c., as pack-horses 
for the transportation of their baggage and subsistence. 
In the discharge of this delicate duty, I Avas obliged, in 
regard to strict and impartial justice, to assign a single 
horse for the service of the General and his staff. This 
important piece of information I communicated to the 
General as we sat at dinner, and I was complimented for 
having so strictly discharged my duty. At the same time 
the General read us a small lecture on the stern necessity 
of always, at the commencement of a campaign, reducing 
the imjyedementa to the lowest mark practicable. Hitchcock 
and myself at once expressed our readiness to march with 
one shirt, one pair of drawers, and one pair of stockings, 
besides those we had upon our precious persons. This 
refinement of self-denial on the part of his staff so de- 
lighted the General, who is always ready to share the 
hardships, dangers, and privations of a march with the 
private soldier, that he smiled blandly and benevolently, 
as he sipped a glass of champaign, with a bottle of which 
he had treated the mess on this occasion, and said, — 
" Gentlemen, you have acted so entirely in accordance 



BY GEORGE A. 3IcCALL. 311 

with my own approved views, that I think we may indulge 
ourselves with a little luxury, say one bottle apiece for 
the campaign ! '^ 

Now you must be informed, if you do not already know 
it, that the General is a strictly temperance man, (I do not 
mean a teetotaler,) not only from principle but by nature; 
and this indulgence of his was an unmistakable proof of 
his approval of our decision just expressed. As he had 
appointed myself to carry the purse from which all expen- 
ditures of this kind should be made, for, w^th the gener- 
osity which marked his life, he insisted on bearing all the 
expenses of his mess, I said, ^'Well, General, wdiat shall 
your bottle be?'' 

He replied, in a slightly suppressed voice, — "A bottle 
of porter." 

To stand this announcement unmoved was a painful 
trial of forbearance, altliough I knew the General's jjen- 
chant for a glass of porter, when he felt unwell. I made a 
note, however, in my memorandum-book ; and turning to 
Hitchcock said, '^Now, Captain what will you take?" 
It evidently cost him an effort of resolution to go one step 
beyond the General, and he replied, " I think I '11 say a 
bottle of wine." 

Having made a note of this also, it now came to my 
turn to declare the dictates of my judgment as to what was 
fitting for the march, and I said, '^General, we may meet 
with wild and unwholesome waters in the imperfect lime- 
stone country, and I think it will be but prudent to have 
with us a little corrective; therefore /will take a bottle 
of brandy." 

To this no remark was made. And it is a positive fact 
that we marched the next morning with a bottle of porter, 
a bottle of wine, and a bottle of brandy as our " eanteen,^^ 
on an arduous march through the Seminole country, where 
they might dispute our advance at any point on a line of 



312 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

one hundred miles of road. I should, however, mention 
here, that I had succeeded in purchasing an excellent pony 
for the General, at a very fair cost, from a person claiming 
to enjoy the benefit of a residence under "the flag." Our 
little army had their bivouae under the wide-spreading live- 
oaks; and at daylight in the morning, every company was 
quickly formed by its captain ; the brigade was soon 
in line, and filed off in high spirits upon the military road 
leading to Fort King. The General took his place at the 
head of the column on his steed, Hitchcock and myself by 
his side on foot ; and with an advance guard and about one 
dozen friendly Indians in front, we commenced the march 
to Fort King, to release General Clinch, should he have 
been surrounded by a heavy force of Indians. We marched 
about twelve miles without the occurrence of any incident 
of a military character ; yet I must not pass over a piece 
of good luck that befell myself. As the troops made a 
brief halt at the Big Spring, about three miles from Fort 
Brooke, a sub-chief joined his companions mounted on a 
handsome horse ; as he joined his party, all of whom were 
on foot, I walked up to him, attracted I must confess by 
the appearance of his steed ; and much to my surprise and 
pleasure recognized in his rider an old acquaintance 
and friend, Tustenuggee Hajo, On recognizing me, he 
exclaimed, "ilfie la! ay-it-liepts-e-chezf^^ "Ah! how is 
your health?'' 

I replied, " Hm-cia/' "good," and we shook hands. 
Then pointing to his horse, I said, " Echo-thlocko hin-cia; " 
"A good horse." '' Chato hanaica nacho-ma echo-thlocko 
ocpa-taka che-malis chezf'^ " How many dollars do yoli 
want for the horse, saddle, and bridle?" 

He replied, " Chato kanawa palin-chakehinJ^ " Fifty 
dollars." 

Without further parley, I took out pen, ink, and pa})er, 
and wrote an order on the sutler at Fort Brooke to pay 



BY GEORGE A. 3TcCALL. .313 

Tustenuggee Hajo, on demand, fifty dollars, and char2:c the 
same to my account. I then told him to hand the paper 
to the sutler (sneezer), and get his money; he took the 
order, which he placed in his tobacco-pouch, and handed 
me the bridle of the horse. This was a mark of confidence 
at wdiich the Louisiana Volunteers, many of whom were 
standing around, expressed their astonishment, and their 
incredulity, in fact, until they saw me mount the horse and 
ride off. He was a spirited fellow and in good plight; 
the saddle was a common American saddle, and not much 
the worse for wear. I may as well conclude the account 
of this transaction by stating that the chief accompanied 
us on our march, and did not present the note till several 
months afterwards, when he received his money. As I 
have mentioned, we marched about twelve miles to a branch 
of Fish Creek, an old hunting-ground of mine; and after 
we halted, I recollected that not far from the place where 
we sat with the General, I had four years agone, while on 
a hunting-party with two or three ofiicers, lunched at this 
creek, and as we rose again to mount our horses, I took 
up the black bottle from which we had taken our noon-er, 
still half full of whisky, and placed it in a concealed cleft 
in the rocky bank, saying, ^'We'll find this the next time 
we lunch here.'^ I related the occurrence to the General, 
and said, '^I know the exact spot so well, that if it is still 
where I put it, I can easily find it." The General ex- 
pressed a desire to know whether the bottle was still there, 
and furthermore whether I would be able to find it. I 
therefore rose and went down the creek to the rock, which 
I recognized as if I had been there but yesterday ; I ex- 
amined the ledge on wdiich I had placed ^^ Brown Bess," 
but she was there no more : some unusually high freshet 
had probably carried her down the stream, and into the 
world of waters that ebbed and flowed not a mile distant. 
The place where I had placed the bottle was one strongly 



314 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

marked, and I could not have mistaken it ; for the locality 
was one that had long been familiar to me; and I only 
mention it because the General, who has himself the 
"organ of locality^' largely developed, evidently wanted to 
test mine. At this moment the General's orderly arrived 
at the tent with the pack-horse or sumptcr, (for Captain 
Shannon had brought a tent for the General without saying 
anything about it). This orderly, as he termed himself, 
had been a sergeant in the army, and in New Orleans 
had induced the General to hire him at high wages as 
factotum. He now led the horse up in front of the Gen- 
eral, and Avith a bold assurance of manner, reported that 
he had arrived with every thing safe except the bottle of 
brandy, which the horse had broken by running up against 
a tree. The bottles had been hung on top of the pack, on 
the outside, but resting on a soft substance that would 
yield, a thick, heavy bottle would not be likely to break. 
I looked at the General : he was perfectly calm and un- 
moved, and the man escaped even reproof. For a moment 
I felt disposed to break the fellow's neck, as he had broken 
that of the bottle, after he had sold the brandy to the vol- 
unteers, and left the neck dangling from the pack ; but 
fortunately I had self-control enough to say nothing. The 
next day was passed like the first, as the Spaniard sa}'s, 
" sin novedadj^ until we arrived at our camp-ground. I 
had selected a very pretty knoll in the pine wood, near 
the water, when Colonel Twiggs came up and entered 
into conversation with the General. While this was srointr 
on, the orderly and the pack-horse came up. He addressed 
the General with imperturbable impudence, and reported 
that the horse to-day had broken the wine-bottle. At this 
I laughed heartily, for it was the most transparent piece 
of rascality that my eyes ever looked upon ; yet the Gen- 
eral did not show the slightest suspicion, nor did he ap- 
parently entertain any. I walked up to the horse and 
untied the remaining bottle. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 315 

•'General/' said I, "let me recommend to yon to take 
yonr porter to-day, for If left till to-morrow, I apprehend 
it will meet the fate of the brandy and the wine.'^ To 
this the General assented, or rather made no objection ; so 
I managed with my knife to cut the wire and extract the 
cork. I then poured out a full bumper, knowing that 
Twiggs was a teetotaler, and handed it to the General; he 
with inimitable politeness begged Twiggs to take it. He 
of course declined ; the General then smiled and finislied 
the bumper at a draught. I offered to refill for him, but he 
begged me to help Hitchcock, who helped himself very 
moderately, and again I presented the cup to the General, 
but he excused himself and said, 

"Will you not finish it, — I beg you to do so.'' There 
was a full bumper left, which I without further entreaty 
dispatched. And thus ended the history of the three bottles, 
on the second day of our march. On the eighth day we 
reached Dade's battle-ground, of which I have given you 
an all-sufficient description. After throwing out a strong 
guard around the field of battle, a portion of the men at a 
time were permitted to Avalk round the ground to examine 
the position our men had so nobly defended, and to ponder 
on the sad sights there presented to their view. At the same 
time a spot was selected for the burial-place of the officers, 
and another near by for the men. Both officers and men 
were with great care interred, side by side. Then the 
troops were formed in column of companies ; and while the 
full band of the 4th Regiment at the head of the column 
played with much solemnity and expression a funeral 
dirge, the men, with arms reversed and with sad but stern 
countenances, at a slow pace, marched round the entire 
ground, and the funeral-rites of their brethren-in-arms 
were concluded. Nothinc; further of e^eneral interest oc- 
curred until we arrived at Fort King, at the time com- 
manded by Colonel Ichabod B. Crane, of the 4th Artil- 



316 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

leiy. Here we learned that General Clinch was at Fort 
Drane, twenty-tw^o miles northward, ^^hither a messenger 
w^as sent to announce General Gaines' arrival. Adieu. 



To General Thomas Cadwalader, 
Arch Street, Philadelphia. 

Camp Sabine, near the Sabine River, ] 
May i8, 1836. J 

My dear Sir : — A rapid change of position and 
almost constant occupation during the last four months 
have prevented, until now, my making " the Florida War^^ 
the subject of a letter. The first intelligence of "actual 
hostilities " in that section of his military department, was 
received by General Gaines at New Orleans, whilst on a 
tour of inspection to the Gulf posts. The news of the 
massacre of Dade's detachment had burst like a thunder- 
clap upon the inhabitants of the great Southern emporium. 
On receiving the official report of the sad disaster, General 
Gaines immediately addressed to the Adjutant-General, a,t 
Washington, a letter, in which he urged that no time 
should be lost in applying to the savages on that frontier 
the last and obvious means of correction ; at the same 
time declaring, from his knowledge of the Seminole In- 
dians and the country they inhabited^ his conviction, that 
the only sure means of speedily and effectually terminating 
the difficulties in that quarter would be to bring into the 
fiekl an army of at least four thousand men, aided and 
supported by a sti'ong naval force. Under this impression 
he recommended that the cavalry and parts of the 1st and 
7th Kegiments of Infantry be ordered to Florida, to rein- 
force the United States troops on the Gulf, and such volun- 
teers from the adjoining States as the emergency may call 
forth. On the same day he made a requisition on the Gov- 
ernor of Louisiana for a regiment of riflemen or infantry ; 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 317 

and soon after requested of Commodore Bolton, at Pensa- 
cola, the co-operation of such naval force as he might feel 
authorized to order on that service. 

Some days subsequent to this, the receipt of intelligence 
that Fort Brooke (Tampa Bay) was invested or hemmed 
in by the Indians and negroes, and the garrison in danger 
of being cut off, determined General Gaines to proceed at 
once to their relief with what force he might be able to 
collect at New Orleans. He accordingly wrote by express 
to General Clinch, who commanded in Florida, and was 
at that time at Fort King, one hundred miles north of 
Fort Brooke, that he (General Gaines) would be at the 
latter fort, on the 8th of February, with seven hundred 
men. General Clinch, it Avas understood, would have by 
that time a respectable force (volunteers) from Georgia 
and the upper counties of Florida. He was accordingly 
ordered, if strong enough to take the field, to march to 
the southward in time to effect a junction with General 
Gaines at or near Fort Brooke. Under these circum- 
stances. General Gaines embarked at New Orleans on the 
night of the 3d of February with a brigade of about eleven 
hundred men — to which number his force had fortunately 
increased — consisting of six companies of the 4th Infantry 
under Lieutenant-Colonel Twiggs, and a regiment of Louis- 
iana volunteers under command of General P. F. Smith, 
Adjutant-General of the State. The transports, being 
steamboats, were obliged to touch at Pensacola for wood; 
and here it was that General Gaines met the Adjutant- 
General's letter of the 22d of January, which purported to 
cover the " Order, No. 7,'' directing " General Scott to re- 
2:>air to Florida, and take command of the troops operating 
against the Indians in that quaHer.''^ This order. No. 7, 
was not enclosed, nor did General Gaines see it until his 
arrival at Fort King sixteen days afterwards. This fact 
may be a matter of no great import ; but, as the continu- 



318 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

ance of the movement, (from Pensacola to Tampa,) after 
his being notified that such an order had been issued, is 
one of the two prominent features of the campaign that 
have been very unhesitatingly criticised and condemned in 
some of the public prints, it may be well to examine what 
might have been the consequences, had he abandoned the 
expedition at that advanced stage of its progress. 

In command of a military department, he had received, 
at a point far distant from the seat of Federal Government, 
(whence alone special or new instructions should be sent 
him,) the intelligence of a great and unlooked-for disaster 
havino; occurred on the extreme southern frontier of the 
country, occupied by the left wing of his division. He 
learned the melancholy news that a large white settlement 
had been overrun, sacl'ed, and burned, and many of the 
inhabitants killed; the United States Agent of Indian 
Affairs murdered ; eight valuable officers and ninety-eight 
brave soldiers of his division cut to pieces by an over- 
whelming savage foe ! — and he Avas aware that the mili- 
tary forts on the borders of the Indian country, viz., 
Forts Brooke, King, and Drane, with the station at Key 
West, {all within his military department,) w^ere without 
any other works of defence than such as a daring leader 
with five hundred men might, at the risk of little loss, 
take and destroy in a few hours — the garrisons of three 
of those posts being insufficient for their defence. What, 
then, was the duty of the commander of the department ? 
Had he hesitated one single moment, he would, indeed, 
have merited the stern opprobrium of his fellow-citizens. 
He did not hesitate — he collected what force he could and 
marched immediately for the theatre of the war. On the 
route, and within two days' march (by steam) of the In- 
dian border, he received a notification that General Scott 
had been ordered to repair from the city of AVashington 
to Florida, ^' and take command of the troops operating 



nr GEORGE A. McCALL. 319 

against the Indians in that quarter/' At the same time, 
he was informed that " the state of affairs west of the Mis- 
sissippi might soon require his attention, if not his presence 
in that quarter," and he was directed to await further orders 
in the city of New Orleans. Had hostilities actually ex- 
isted on the Louisiana frontier, and General Gaines received 
an order to repair thither immediately, it is difficult to say 
whether the historian would have approved or condemned 
his conduct at that stage of the game, had he obeyed the 
order, and, by so doing, left General Clinch, in expecta- 
tion of a promised co-operation, to extricate himself as he 
could from any difficulty into which failure on the part of 
General Gaines in preconcerted movements might perad- 
venture throw him. And without General Gaines, the 
volunteers, his principal force, were unwilling to proceed. 
Moreover, he was firmly persuaded that the instructions 
from the War Department, requiring him to await further 
orders in the city of New Orleans, were forwarded before 
that Department could possibly have received a detail of 
the circumstances which rendered the immediate movement 
to Florida not only proper but imperative. A little re- 
flection determined him to continue the movement until 
the President should be apprised of all the particular cir- 
cumstances attending it, — or until the officer authorized to 
operate in his Department should make his appearance in 
person in that part of the country which constituted the 
principal theatre of the war, or the Indians be subdued and 
the security of the frontier re-established. 

This view of the subject is based upon a sound principle 
of military law, and is supported by the ablest writers of 
all enlightened nations whose arms have been crowned 
with success. Had General Gaines disregarded this prin- 
ciple, he well knew that he might expose to difficulty, or 
perhaps destruction, a body of troops expecting his co-op- 
eration, and conscqucntlv leave the citizens dwelling within 



320 LETTI'JRS FnO}f THE FRONTIERS, 

tliat quarter of his command to the tomahawk and soalp- 
ing-knife. 

Was it his duty, under such circumstances, to abandon 
an expedition on the prosecution of wliich the safety of the 
border people possibly hung ; or was it his duty to strike 
promptly at the enemy, if possible subdue him, or, at all 
events, endetivor to check his devastations, until the Pres- 
ident should have notice of his strength, and the deter- 
mined spirit with which he seemed prepared to carry on 
the war? 

General Gaines proceeded to Tampa Bay. On his 
arrival at Fort Brooke, he learned that the day previous 
a party of about one hundred of the friendly Indians had 
been attacked near the Fort, and driven in by a superior 
force. The country f»ccuj)ied by the hostile tribes lying 
between Forts Brooke and King, no communication had 
been kept up between those posts since the massacre of 
Major Dade's command ; and consequently General Gaines, 
on arriving at the first-named station, was unable to gather 
any information from which he could form even a toler- 
able conjecture of General Clinch's strength or movements. 
But relying on the co-operation of that officer, he deter- 
mined, as soon as his horses could be landed, to place a 
sufficient garrison in the pickets, and with the remainder 
of his force march out to meet him. 

Owing to the expense and difficulties attending the 
transportation of horses from Xew Orleans by sea, the 
baggage-train brought ^\\i\\ the brigade was necessarily 
small ; and the expectation that the requisite number to 
complete the train might be procured at Tampa was not 
realized, the horses and cattle in that vicinity having been 
stolen or lost during the alarm which broke up the settle- 
ment, and drove the families for protection to the Fort. 
Some half dozen Indian ponies were, I believe, all that the 
Quartermaster could procure to add to the number brought 



BY GEORCE A. McCALL, 321 

from New Orleans. Tlie question, then, among both offieei^ 
and soldiers was, not ^Svhat tliey might get along witii V 
but ^^ what they could do without on the march ?^' Ten 
days' rations were issued to the troops, (five of which were 
to be carried in the haversacks,) and on the morning of 
the 13th the brigade took the field. 

The friendly Indians, who, to the number of seventy- 
seven, accompanied the brigade, having reported their 
belief that the war-party which attacked them a few days 
before was not only formidable, but was probably still 
encamped on the Alafia River, at a point some fifteen 
miles from Fort Brooke, and seven from the main road to 
Fort King, General Gaines made a detour to the right, 
for the purpose of breaking up and driving before him 
this band of marauders. On the second day's march, how- 
ever, it was ascertained that the enemy had not been on the 
Alafia in any strength ; and the troops having received two 
additional rations, which had been directed to meet them 
by water at Warren's, proceeded on their route. On ap- 
proaching the Withlacoochee, on Dade's line of march, and 
some thirty miles above Clinch's battle-ground, the friendly 
Indians expressed their firm belief that a vigorous attack 
would be made the following day, and urged strenuously 
that they might be permitted to return home, i. e. to Fort 
J3rooke. This faltering on the approach of battle created 
some surprise, not unmingled with distrust of their fidel- 
ity. A half hour's talk, however, reassured them, and 
they moved on without evincing any further timidity. 
The expected attack, however, was not made ; and the 
brigade arrived, without annoyance, at Dade's battle- 
ground, when funeral honors were paid to the gallant 
band, who had left on the trees around abundant proof of 
a field nobly contested against an overwhelming foe. The 
sad scene can never be erased from the memory of those 
who witnessed it; but its images, still vivid in the mind, 

V 



322 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

recall feelings too painful to permit me to dwell longer 
upon a scene which has already been described by many. 
Up to this time, the eighth day since he marched from 
Fort Brooke, General Gaines had been in hourly expecta- 
tion of meeting General Clinch. Knowing the promptness 
of that officer, General Gaines could not now but appre- 
hend that some serious obstacle had arisen to prevent the 
desired junction. Being only about forty miles from Fort 
King, the General felt bound to proceed thither to ascer- 
tain the situation of Clinch's command, and if possible to 
gain some information with regard to the movements of 
the enemy. His only doubt with regard to the expe- 
diency of proceeding thither was on the score of provisions; 
the men had with them enough to carry them back to 
Tampa if he returned immediately, and there, we knew, 
were abundant supplies. But if he proceeded to Fort 
King, he might not find a sufficient provision to make that 
position the basis of his operations, without embarrassing 
General Clinch with whom he desired to co-operate ; — or 
General Scott, should he have arrived. An officer then 
mentioned to the General, that the Quartermaster had re- 
ceived, before we left Fort Brooke, a letter from the Quar- 
termaster-General, notifying him that one hundred and 
twenty thousand rations had been ordered to Fort King 
in January preceding. This letter was immediately called 
for. It was from the Quartermaster-General's office, and 
dated the 19th of January. The passage that had been re- 
ferred to was as follows : ^' Large supplies of provisions 
have been ordered from New York for Fort King; and 
thirty thousand rations to St. Augustine from the same 
place." This was the first time General Gaines saw the 
letter in question, or kncAV that a large additional supply 
had been ordered from New York to Fort King. He had 
brought a large supply of subsistence and forage to Tampa 
Bay, and had written to General Clinch to that effi3ct from 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 323 

New Orleans, intending to make Tampa the basis of his 
operations. But now unable to gain the least information 
of General Clinch's strengtli or movements, or those of the 
enemy, in any other way than by proceeding to Fort King, 
the acquisition of the information above detailed, removed 
the only doubt he had entertained with regard to the 
expediency of the measure. 

He decided to push on without delay, and the order to 
march was given the moment the simple but solemn fune- 
ral-rites of the band of heroes was concluded. I have 
been thus precise in this part of my narrative, because a 
want of knowledge of the circumstances attending this 
measure has caused the whole movement to be so miscon- 
strued, as to lay General Gaines liable to the charge of 
dashing, heedlessly, into the wilderness without any plan 
of operations, suffering himself to be separated by a wide 
district of the enemy's country from the depot of his sup- 
plies ; and thus exposing his men to hardships and priva- 
tions as unnecessary as profitless. But this is the second 
principal feature of the campaign that has been most un- 
hesitatingly criticised. 

The troops reached Fort King on the 22d of February, 
without meeting with any incident worthy of remark. A 
single company of the 3d Artillery constituted the garrison 
of this station. General Clinch with his principal force 
was at Fort Drane, twenty-two miles to the northwest. 
With great regret General Gaines now learned that Clinch 
had not received the expected reinforcement from the 
northern border of the territory — but two volunteer com- 
panies having joined him from that quarter. His force 
was four companies of artillery, one of infantry, and tlie 
two companies of volunteers I have mentioned. General 
Gaines was not less disappointed wlien he was told that 
the supply of provisions at these two ])Osts (King and 
Drane) was little more than sufficient for their support. 



324 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Whether this disappointment was consequent to a reason- 
able expectation or not, I shall not pretend to determine. 
The simple facts from which must be determined the rea- 
sonableness or unreasonableness of the conclusion drawn 
from the information received by General Gaines on Dade's 
battle-ground, are these : the troops had marched from 
Fort Brooke on the 13th, with ten days' rations ; at the 
Alalia they received two days' rations, brought thither by 
water, making in all twelv^e ; that is, they were provisioned 
to include the 24th of February. On the 20th of Febru- 
ary, General Gaines saw the letter of the 19th of January, 
already alluded to. From the date of the letter to the 
day he saw it inclusive, was thirty-two days ; and to the 
24th of February, the day to which his troops had been 
provisioned, is thirty-six days. The supplies had been 
ordered on the 19th, — how long before that, he knew not. 
The facilities of water-transportation from New York to 
the mouth of the St. John's River, and up that river by 
steam to Picolata, whence it is about seventy miles to Fort 
Drane, and ninety-two to Fort King, led to the conclu- 
sion, that in thirty-six days the supply w^ould have 
reached its destination. The roads the troops had trav- 
elled were in fine order, the season having been remark- 
ably dry ; w^e w^ere told no rain had fallen from some time 
in September till the day before we reached Dade's battle- 
ground, wdien there was a light rain. 

At Fort King it was learned that preparations were 
making for the campaign, at Picolata, under the direction 
of General Scott. It was not thought, however, that he 
would be enabled to take the field with any considerable 
force for some time. 

Finding ho could expect no immediate co-operation 
from a quarter where he had expected to meet a consider- 
able force, — Clinch's command being barely sufficient to 
supply the necessary escorts to the 2>rovision-wagons be- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 325 

tween Picolata and Fort Drane, — and unwilling to draw 
upon the nucleus of supplies here collecting, General 
Gaines decided on returning immediately to Tampa Bay, 
and make tliat the basis of his operations. He informed 
General Clinch of this, and requested barely a sufficient 
snpply to last him on the march. He had marched from 
Fort Brooke to Fort King, by the main route, the com- 
mon wagon-road. This road is longer, by a day's march, 
tlian the route by Chocochatee ; he, therefore, determined 
to return by the latter. It was, indeed, the opinion at 
Fort King, that the Indians had established themselves 
near the point at which this trace crosses the Withlacoo- 
chee, viz.. Clinch's battle-ground. If so, so much the 
better ; he might beat them by the way. At any rate, the 
movement of one thousand men through the country occu- 
pied by the Indians, w^ould have the effect of keeping 
them concentrated, and consequently relieve the frontier 
from petty depredations. Of the seventy-seven friendly 
Indians, who accompanied the brigade from Fort Brooke, 
ten returned w^ith it, the balance remaining with General 
Clinch. 

These men, who acted as guides, promised to find a ford 
somewhere near the point at which General Clinch had 
crossed. On the 27th, General Gaines reached the With- 
lacoochee at this point, — and a half hour or more had 
been passed in searching for the ford, when the enemy 
opened a fire from the opposite bank. The stream is about 
forty yards wide, but deep and rapid. A few companies 
were immediately brought into action, and very soon the 
fire became general from the left to the centre. This skir- 
mish, the first bush-fighting the men had seen, lasted half 
an hour. The loss of the troops w^as one killed and seven 
wounded. The troops encamped near the river, and the 
guides declared the ford must be about three miles below, 
where a trail leading to the right struck the river. 
28 



326 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

The next morning by sunrise the three columns marched 
for the point indicated, on reaching Avhich, a spirited fire 
was immediately opened from the opposite bank, which 
was quickly returned, and continued with occasional inter- 
missions till one o'clock. In the early part of this action, 
the gallant Lieutenant Izard was mortally wounded. The 
loss this day was one killed and three wounded. The 
stream at this point also proved to be too deep to be forded. 
And the guides who had been accustomed to hunt in the 
lower country, and had not been in this section for many 
years, were totally at fault. The banks of the stream 
however, at this point were less thickly clad vvith the cus- 
tomary undergrowth, and the General determined to cross. 
A detail was accordingly made to prepare canoes and the 
flooring for a pontoon bridge ; and the cheerful sound of 
the axe was soon mingled with the crack of the rifle and 
the animating war-cry. At four o'clock P. M. a distant 
but very loud whooping was heard, which indicated the 
approach of a large reinforcement to the enemy on the 
o])posite side. The friendly Indians immediately declared 
it to be INIicanopy, whose force they estimated at eight 
hundred Avarriors. 

General Gaines, then satisfied that the whole force of 
the enemy was in the field, considered the opportunity of 
bringing the war to a close too favorable to be lost. Under 
this impression he sent an express to General Clinch, rec- 
ommending an immediate luovement of the force under 
his conunand, with an additional supply of ammunition 
and provisions. Clinch was desired to cross the river 
some ten miles above and move down on the left bank. 
General Gaines added that he would endeavor in the mean 
time to amuse the enemy, prejjare his boats, &q. for cross- 
ing, but would not cross till he heard from Fort Drane, 
where General Clinch expected by that time some accession 
to his force. 



BY GEORGE A. Mr CALL. 827 

By this movement it was believed that the two brigades 
would be enabled to attack the enemy in front and rear at 
the same time^ and probably terminate the war in a few 
days. 

The customary log breastwork was thrown up, about 
three feet highland the troops left undisturbed that night. 
The following morning an attack was thought not improb- 
able from some quarter; and one third of the men were 
kept on duty at the breastwork. At ten o'clock A. M., the 
working-parties were fired upon, and immediately after- 
wards a dashing attack was made on three sides of the 
camp. The Indians advanced boldly and fired with great 
rapidity, but not with precision. At one time they set 
fire to the high grass and palmetto on the windward side 
of the camp, and made a bold dash under cover of the 
smoke, which, mingled with flame, came rolling towards 
the breastwork like a heavy sea. The fire was coolly ex- 
tinguished, and the audacity of the assailants punished by 
the Louisiana riflemen. The fight lasted till a few minutes 
past twelve o'clock M., when the enemy withdrew. Their 
numbers were estimated by those considered the best judges 
at fifteen hundred. The troops, having the advantage of 
the slight breastwork before mentioned, lost this day only 
one sergeant killed, and thirty-four officers and men 
wounded, — among the latter was General Gaines himself. 
The loss of the enemy was considerable, the troops firing 
with a coolness and precision which would do honor to 
veterans, ^or should the 29th of February be passed 
without bestowing a word of praise on the marked gal- 
lantry of their red assailants, who fought — many an old 
Indian-fighter present said — ^^as Indians never fought 
before." As the Indians had crossed the river, a runner 
was sent that night to General Clinch, informing him of 
the occurrences of the morning. In concluding this letter, 
General Gaines said : ^^ I have abstained, and shall abstain 



328 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

from a sortie until I hear from you, in expectation that 
this course will tend to keep them together, while a sortie 
might contribute to disperse them. I am now satisiied 
that a direct movement to this place is more desirable than 
to cross the river higher up, as I suggested in my letter 
of yesterday. I am, moi'eover, of opinion that, if mounted 
men can be obtained in a few days, your force should not 
move from Fort Drane without that description of troops. 
The Indians move with too much celerity to be pursued 
with any chance of success by any other than mounted 
men." The following day, March 1st, there was light skir- 
mishing, and occasional shots were fired at those who 
passed out of camp. On the morning of the 2d of March 
an attack was made nearly as vigorous as that of the 29th, 
and Avas kept up for one hour; but the troops having 
raised the breastwork, sustained little loss. 

It was possible that General Clinch might arrive this 
afternoon; and many of the men, who were somewhat 
hungry, began to look eagerly for his appearance ; though 
when they were told that if he should be detained by the 
non-arrival of the mounted men, it might yet be some 
days before they received a supply of provisions, — in which 
case they must be content to dine on horse-meat until 
they could do better, — I do not think there was a man who 
did not declare his willingness to do so, as long as there 
was a prospect of bringing the war to a successful termi- 
nation by so doing. All the corn in camp was turned in 
as common stock, and afforded about a pint per man ; and 
afterwards some horses were killed and the meat regularly 
issued. The 3d, 4th, and 5th of March did not produce 
any incidents greatly differing from those of the preceding 
days. The' Indians were frequently firing into the camp 
by night as well as day, generally selecting the hour of 
guard-mounting or parade, when the men were most ex- 
posed. Our sharp-shooters, however, kept them at long 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 329 

shots, and their bullets whistled through the camp without 
doing much execution. On these occasions, as usual, the 
woods rung with the exciting war-cry. During this time 
we lost but one man killed and two wounded. At ten 
o'clock p. M. on the 5th, some one was heard hailing the 
camp. It was at first supposed to be a return express 
from Fort Drane, who was thus giving notice of his ap- 
proach lest he should be fired on by the sentinels. He 
was told to advance. In a few moments a negro called 
out at the top of his voice : — 

" The Indians are tired of fighting, and wish to come in 
to-morrow, and shake hands.'' 

He Avas told that, if they had anything to say, they might 
come in the morning, with a ivhite flag, and they would 
be heard. Whereupon he retired, bidding us a hearty 
" good-night.^^ At ten o'clock A. M. on the 6th, three hun- 
dred warriors, or thereabout, drew up in line facing the 
rear of the camp, at the distance of four hundred and fifty or 
five hundred yards. After some delay and apparent hesi- 
tation on their part, two or three advanced about half-way 
with a white flag. Here they were met by Adjutant Bar- 
row, to whom they communicated their desire to have a 
talk with General Gaines. They said they had lost a 
great many warriors, and were unwilling to lose any more 
e:^cept in the course of nature, or perchance by the fall of 
a forest-tree. Captain Hitchcock, Acting Inspector-Gen- 
eral, was then sent to hear what they had to say. He re- 
turned and reported that the Indians did not wish to fight 
any more ; but that they were desirous that the troops should 
withdraw from the Withlacoochee. The celebrated Oceola 
was much dejected, and apparently subdued in spirit. 
Captain Hitchcock was directed to return and tell them 
that a large force would soon be in the field; and the in- 
evitable consequence of their refusing to come to terms 
would be the destruction of a great portion of the nation. 
28* 



330 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

They expressed a desire to treat with General Gaines ; and 
said they would hold a council on the subject, and give 
their answer in the afternoon. They returned at the ap- 
pointed time, and again expressed their desire to make 
peace with General Gaines, but said their act could not be 
binding without the sanction of Micanopy, the principal 
chief, who had gone to his town. They said they would 
send for him, and then sign a treaty. Captain Hitchcock 
communicated to them what he had been instructed to say, 
viz., that General Gaines had no authority to treat with 
them ; but that if they would return to the south side of 
the Withlacoochee, and remain there without molesting the 
inhabitants of the country until the United States Com- 
missioners should appoint a time and place to meet them, 
they should not for the present be disturbed. The chiefs 
present gave their promise to do so. At this moment 
General Clinch's advance came in sight of the party that 
had accompanied the chiefs, and not knowing what was 
passing at the camp, wheeled into line, and poured a vol- 
ley upon the Indians, who immediately fled and crossed 
the river, as did the chiefs who were with Captain Hitch- 
cock, fearing no doubt they would be shot down. This 
broke up the conference. 

The brigade with Clinch w^as received with heart-felt 
greetings. He brought the greater part of the garrisbn 
from Fort Drane, and a squadron of mounted men, raised 
in the counties immediately north of Fort Drane, and 
with them all the supplies his slender means of transpor- 
tation would allow, together with forty head of beef-cattle. 
From this time up to the 9th of March, the Indians re- 
mained true to their promise to abstain from hostilities, 
our men having frequently during these days fished and 
bathed in the river without molestation. Micanopy, how- 
ever, did not arrive, and General Gaines decided this day 
to place the troops under the command of General Clinch, 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 331 

whose gallantry and decision had proved him so worthy 
of the trust; and prepared to return immediately to New 
Orleans, in pursuance of the instructions he had received 
at Pensacola. 

On the 10th, General Clinch took up the line of march 
for Fort Drane. That night a negro, who had a wife 
among the hostile Indians, and among whom he had been 
sent on the 8th, returned, and reported that they assured 
him of their intention to adhere to their promises, and 
told him they would meet the whites on the Withlacoo- 
chee in five days, when all the principal chiefs would be 
present. 

They said they had seen the soldiers fishing on the banks 
of the Withlacoochee, but, desiring to be at peace, they 
had not fired on them. 

On the 11th, the brigade encamped about three miles 
south of Fort Drane. At parting with General Gaines, 
they addressed him a most complimentary and affectionate 
letter. 

The General proceeded to Fort Drane, and soon after 
set out for New Orleans, by the way of Tallahassee and 
Pensacola. At New Orleans he received the instructions 
from the War Department relative to this frontier, and 
immediately proceeded to Fort Jesup. 

This is a rough sketch, but you may rely on the facts, 
and you are at liberty to make use of the letter, if you 
think proper, for the information of the public. 
Faithfully yours, 

Geo. a. McCall, 
A. D. C, Asst. AdjL General. 

P. S. — I mentioned in the foregoing that General Gaines 
was among the wounded. I must tell you how it occurred. 
A few minutes previously he had sent me with an order to 
Colonel Foster, commanding my old regiment, the 4th 



332 LETTER Si FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Infantry ; for I was still a First Lieutenant in that reg- 
iment, although detached on special service, as chief of 
General Gaines^ staff. Foster was on the north front, 
where there was a small patch of woodland ; and the In- 
dians had occupied this wood in force, and were pouring 
in a heavy fire upon Foster. Of course I had to run the 
gantlet ; but I found the Colonel, delivered the message, 
and returned unscathed. The General, as I returned to 
his side, addressing me, said in his quaint, old-fashioned 
style : " I 'm glad to see, sir, that you have a very good 
stomach for war." 

He had scarcely uttered these words, when a small rifle- 
ball struck a tree a little to the left and front, glanced and 
passed through his lower lip, breaking the two lower front 
teeth; the shock threw his head back, and he uttered a 
low exclamation, then at once leaned forward, and a stream 
of blood fell from his mouth. I bent towards him and 
asked, "General, are you badly hurt?" 

"No," he replied; "there is the ball;" and he put his 
hand to his mouth, took the ball between his fingers and 
handed it to me. This little bullet is deeply indented 
with the impression of the two teeth ; it is in my posses- 
sion still. The old hero did not leave the ground. 



[note to the reader. 

Frederick, Md., December 28, 1836. 

In the October following the date of the letter just read, 
General Gaines was notified by the War Department that 
a Court of Inquiry would be ordered to convene in this 
city at as early a day as practicable, to examine into the 
conduct or management of the campaigns of General Scott 
and of himself, against the Seminole Indians during the 
year. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 333 

General Scott was soon after relieved from the command 
of the troops in Florida by General Taylor, and he arrived 
at Frederick by the time the court v/as organized. Some 
of the witnesses summoned by General Scott, among whom 
I was one, had also arrived. It is not my purpose to enter 
into the particulars of the trial of either of the Generals. 
The matter is part of the history of the country ; and I 
shall only in this connection refer to an incident which con- 
cerned myself. That is to say, a copy of the foregoing letter, 
in which I had endeavored to show that, under the circum- 
stances, General Gaines was not only justified in proceeding 
to Florida as he did, but would have been derelict in his 
duty had he not done so, was at the time sent by me to the 
Editor of the New Orleans " Bee,^' in which paper it was 
published and widely disseminated, and finally found its way 
into the hands of General Scott. In consequence whereof 
I was called to the witness-stand early in the course of his 
trial ; the printed letter w^as produced, to which was aflftxed 
my ofiScial signature, and I was asked whether the letter was 
written by me. I replied that I had published the statement 
under my official signature, and held myself responsible for 
its correctness. No further question was asked; but the Gen- 
eral preferred charges against me for publishing an account 
of a military campaign within the period prohibited by Regu- 
lations, whereby his plan of campaign was interfered with. 
The charges w^ere sent to the War Department; and the 
Court then in session was ordered to investigate the matter. 
It is only necessary further to state that, after the cases of 
the two Major-Generals had been closed, I was brought be- 
fore the Court and the matter investigated ; and I had the 
satisfaction to learn, after making my defence, that I was 
honorably acquitted of all charges brought against me. This 
Court of Inquiry, as I should here mention, composed of 
Major-General Macomb, commanding the Army of the 
United States ; Brigadier-General Atkinson, and Brigadier- 
General Brady ; with Colonel S. Cooj^er, Assistant Adjutant- 
General, Recorder, then adjourned sine die, 

In January, 1837, I took an affectionate leave of my old 



334 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

friend General Gaines, in whose staff I had served as Assist- 
ant Adjutant-General for six years, without the occurrence 
during the whole of that period, of the slightest incident 
calculated to i3roduce an interruption of the confidence and 
good feeling which existed between the General commanding 
the Department and his Chief of Staff Indeed, I can truly 
say, that never in my life did I meet with a gentleman of 
higher tone, more upright character, more inflexible inde- 
pendence of mind, together with so much amiability and 
benevolence of heart, as was possessed by that brave and 
noble old soldier, Major-General Edmund Pendleton Gaines. 
Six months previously to the time I speak of, I had been 
promoted to a captaincy in my regiment, 4th Infantry ; 
but at the request of the General I had remained with him 
until the close of this unnecessary and provoking investiga- 
tion. 

I now proceeded to Washington City, and reported person- 
ally at the Head-Quarters of the Army. Here, instead of 
receiving orders to join my regiment, as I had anticipated, 
I was directed to open a Recruiting Rendezvous in Philadel- 
phia. This was pleasant enough in so far as it enabled me 
to enjoy the society of my dearest relatives ; but beyond that, 
the duty was irksome and disagreeable to me in the extreme. 
The recruits I made were almost without exception of the 
unsophisticated, untutored, and intractable sons of Erin ; for 
the War Department not long before had been constrained 
to withdraw the restriction which allowed the enlistment of 
native citizens of the United States only. It had become 
too plain that the ranks of our army could not be filled with 
men whose intelligence and industry enabled them to fill 
higher places in the Avalks of life. It was therefore imper- 
ative not only to accept foreigners, but to reduce the standard 
of height. Few, however, even with this abatement of qual- 
ifications offered but the raw specimens of humanity just 
landed from the " Green Isle of the Ocean." These " gintil- 
men" were sometimes horribly given to amplification ; and then 
it was a vexatious, not to say a perplexing matter to corner 
Paddy and choke down his mother-wit, in order to get at the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. SbST 

plain truth. One instance will suffice: — At the usual hour 
for the examination of recruits, one bright spring morning, 
the surgeon and myself having assembled in my office high 
up in Market Street for the purpose I have stated, the ser- 
geant brought, among other candidates for the honor of 
serving " Uncle Sam," a perfect Hercules in physical develop- 
ment, who, when divested of his habiliments, soon satisfied 
us, on beholding and strictly examining " the limbs, the thews, 
the stature, the bulk, and big semblance of a man," that no 
more fit ''food for gunjjowder " could anywhere be found ; 
he was therefore incontinently "passed." This formula being 
throughout accomplished, the Doctor bade me good-morning; 
and the sergeant brought into the office, singly, the men who 
had been accepted, in order that I might make out the enlist- 
ment, in which was entered a full description of the recruit ; 
as, birthplace, age, height, complexion, eyes, occupation, &c. ; 
after which he was sent to the Magistrate to be " sivorn in," 
as it is called by the soldiers, i. e., to take the oath of alle- 
giance. When it came to the turn of my verdant Hercules-, I 
at first asked his name. " John 0' Dougherty," he replied, in 
a strong, clear voice. This being written down, I continued 
without looking up from the paper : " Where born ? " Answer, 
" New York." Supposing that my question had not been un- 
derstood, I looked up at the man and repeated in a louder 
tone of voice, "Where w^ere you born?" To this I received 
the most slow, deliberate, decided, and emphatic, but cool and 
not at all impudent reply, "N-e-w-Y-o-r-k." I looked at 
the man with a mingled feeling of indignation and amuse- 
ment. And there stood the fellow, with a quiet, imperturbable 
expression that at once restored my own equanimity. I 
simply said to him, "Say, peas!" 

"Is it Pa-ase, ye mean?" rolled out, in full Hibernian 
richness. 

"Now, you scoundrel!" I broke out; "you tell me you 
were born in New Yoi'k, and can't say, peas ! — Where did 
you come from before you were born in New Yorkf" 

"County Tyrone, to be sure!" came forth from his capa- 
cious mouth, with the simplicity of an iufant. 



336 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

"And why didn't you tell me so at first?" I asked, rather 
tartly. 

" Faix, I thought you would n't take me if I did," was the 
calm reply. And many such I had to deal with. 

At last I w^as relieved from duty on this service and 
ordered to join my regiment. I left the home of my child- 
hood again with the feelings at parting with those I loved 
best, that all of us have ofttimes experienced. But the 
elasticity of the human heart soon recovers its freshness 
when the excitement of action and the love of adventure 
urge us on ; nor could I deny what the poet so sweetly says, 
" My heart 's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer." My love 
for hunting was in fact a passion. 

Brief space of time did my ^'Orders'' allow me for prepa- 
ration ; my " traps " were soon in readiness. One thing only 
gave me concern, — it was the failure almost to the last 
moment to procure a "Sette7' dog'' of fine blood. At last, 
when but twelve hours were left me before the starting of the 
Pittsburg train, I heard of an old man living near the 
Navy Yard, who had a year or two before taken charge of 
Mr. John Hare Powel's dogs, whilst that gentleman was 
residing in England, and that probably this old man had 
some young dogs to dispose of. I jumped into the omnibus 
without a moment's pause, and was soon at this old man's 
house. Fortunately, I found him at home : he had no young 
dogs of the line of progeny I sought for, but a friend of his 
had a very fine young dog, a year old, of the breed undoubt- 
edly I had asked for. He ofiered to conduct me to the house 
of his friend ; and here, in truth, I found a splendid young 
dog as ever my eyes had rested on. Five-and-twenty dollars 
and a douceur to the old man made me happy in the posses- 
sion of"Spo7%'' of whom the reader will hear more hereafter. 
Having reached Wheeling, I found the Ohio too low in water 
for steam-navigation, and I was compelled to take the stage 
across the State of Ohio to Cincinnati. I stipulated, however, 
with the Agent that ^'/Sjjort'' should ride with the driver. 
By feeing each new driver as he mounted the box, which was 
once in two or three *' stages," we succeeded in travelling very 



BYGEORGEA.McCALL. 337 

quietly, until we arrived at a "stmuV^ a &liort distanr^e from 
Columbia. Here, when fresh horses had been hitched-to, and 
the driver had taken his seat, I took Sport by the end of 
his chain, and stepping upon the wheel, spoke to him, when 
in an instant he sprang into the "boot,'' and gathered himself 
into a narrow compass at the driver's feet. I gave the man 
a half-dollar, and told him to take care of the dog ; the driver 
fastened the chain, and I was in the act of descending, when 
the "Agent" came out of the bar-room of the tavern, and 
seeing what was being done, called out in an imperious voice, — 

" Take that dog out of the boot !" 

As the Agent approached the stage on the side next the 
driver and opposite me, he repeated his order, whereujjon I 
arose upon the boot and said mildly, — 

"I contracted with the Agent at Wheeling that my dog 
should ride in the boot throughout the whole of this line." 

" Well, sir," was the peremptory reply, " more passengers 
are going on, and their baggage must go in the boot. — Driver, 
put that dog out." 

Hereupon, the driver putting his hand into his pocket, 
drew forth the aforesaid half-dollar, and offering it to me, 
said, — 

"I must obey orders, sir." 

To this I replied for the enlightenment of the Agent, " What 
I have given you, my man, is your own; — but don't you 
lay hands on my dog." 

On hearing this, the valorous Agent stepped briskly for- 
ward, and put his foot on the wheel as if about to mount; but 
as I stepped in front of Sport as if ready to meet him, he 
contented himself with declaring that the stage should not 
start until the dog was removed. My reply was, that the 
stage was full according to law, there being nine persons with 
their baggage already on board ; that he had no right to 
incommode the legitimate passengers by crowding in more 
than the complement ; and that, as my dog's passage in the 
boot had been agreed upon at the startiug-point for the entire 
route, I was not disposed to have him turned out. The Agent 
then cooled down a little and said, " there were two ladies 
29 W 



338 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

going on to Columbia, and there was no place for their 
baggage but the boot." 

To which I rejoined, "that the boot was engaged for my 
dog, and if he forced the ladies inside, he might put their 
baggage on top." 

The Agent insisted and I protested, and there was little 
chance of our getting away, when one of the gentlemen 
belonging to our company came forward to the front of the 
stage, where I was still standing by my dog, and very politely 
addressing me said, — 

" These ladies tell me they have urgent matters requiring 
their presence at Columbia to-morrow ; that the road thither 
is very bad, the night dark, and great danger of being over- 
set will be incurred by putting the trunks on top. They 
have also requested me to say to you, that, if you will allow 
your dog to be taken inside, they will take good care of him." 

To this I replied, " I would not for anything endanger the 
life or limb of any person of the party, and although I cannot 
for a moment tolerate the idea of this Agent putting my dog 
overboard, I cannot resist the appeal of the ladies: it must be 
as they say." 

As I ceased speaking, I descended from the carriage, and 
the gentleman who had addressed me mounted up on the 
other side, unchained Sport, and opening the coach-door, 
put him inside. One of these ladies at once drew the dog in 
front of her, and said she would make him comfortable. I 
took no further notice of Sport, resigning him entirely to the 
care of his new friends. When Ave reached the breakfast- 
stand, one of the gentlemen led him into the breakfast-room 
and fed him from the table. Sport behaved throughout, very 
fortunately, Avith perfect decorum ; and on our arrival at 
Columbia the two ladies left us, and Sport resumed his 
place in the boot, which he then retained till Ave reached 
Cincinnati. 

The next day, a small flat-bottom steamboat undertook to 
make her Avay through the shallow Avaters of the Ohio, Avith 
passengers only to Louisville. I Avent on board Avith about 
twenty venturesome persons ; and after forty-eight hours of 



BY GEOBGE A. McCALL. 339 

hair-breadth escapes from getting hard and fast aground in 
the middle of the stream, at some locality without a name, 
upon the banks of the Great and " Beautiful Biver," where 
there was neither house nor lowly habitation for five or per- 
haps ten or fifteen miles of tangled forest, and this with only 
three or four days' provisions on board ; and a prospect of 
ten day's detention. 

But fortune favored us, and w^e reached our destination in 
good health and high spirits. My regiment was at the little 
town or village of Calhoun, on the HiaAvassee River, in south- 
eastern Tennessee, whither it had been ordered to march 
from the seaboard of Georgia, to take part in the removal of 
the Cherokee Indians of the John Ross party, who were 
required now to give up their lands which lay around the 
point where the States of Tennessee, North and South Caro- 
lina, and Georgia, so singularly unite their respective corners, 
and to seek their newly allotted country in Arkansas Territory. 
My route lay through Nashville, and in the morning after 
my arrival at Louisville I called at the stage-office to engage 
my passage. 

" Is the stage for Nashville full ?" I inquired. . 

"No, sir, — one seat vacant." 

" I will take it ; but I have a dog that I wish to go with 
me." 

" We cannot take your dog, sir." 

" Can he not ride in the boot with the driver ? " 

" The boot, sir, is filled with the mail, and the driver him- 
self can scarcely sit upon his box." 

" Well, put him on top." 

" The top is covered with the trunks and other baggage." 

" Perhaps I'll have better luck to-morrow?" 

" I cannot promise you, sir." 

I strolled back to the hotel, where I found a coach at the 
door awaiting passengers for the race-course, where the 
driver informed me some crack horses were to run that day ; 
so, for want of better employment, I stepped in, and with half 
a dozen Kentucky gallants was driven to the grounds. Here 
I met. on the stand an old and much admired friend. Colonel 



340 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Stephen Kearney of the 1st Dragoons, with his nephew, Lieu- 
tenant Philij) Kearney, of the same regiment, and the sister 
of the latter. Here were many of the elite, both ladies and 
gentlemen, on the ground ; the horses were the best in the 
State ; the running was beautiful, and the day passed very 
pleasantly. The next morning I returned to the stage-office ; 
two seats were vacant ; the objections of the Agent were those 
of the day before. I told him then, I would take the two 
seats, and take my dog inside. 

He replied, " It is impossible, sir. I would wdth pleasure 
oblige you if I could, but the stage runs full every day, and 
I dare not give you a seat for a dog." 

This seemed to settle the question as to the stage, and I 
left the office grumbling to myself, "I've brought Sport thus 
fur, and I'll carry him through coilfe qui coilte;'' and thus I 
argued : JS^ow^ if I buy a horse and buggy, I shall travel more 
pleasantly and more cheaply ; and what is three or four hun- 
dred miles from here to Fort Cass? (Calhoun.) I can join my 
regiment before muster-day, and that's all that is necessary." 

I had not w^alked more than two squares before my good 
star had led me to a livery-stable, before unknown, where at 
the entrance I found a man grooming a horse as beautiful as 
singularly marked. He might be called white, though his 
mane was black ; his head, neck, and shoulders were dappled 
with gray ; while his rump was partially covered with large 
blotches of a roan color, and his full, flowing tail was of a 
pure white. 

"Is that a circus-horse you have there?" I demanded of 
the groom. 

" No, sir ; he belongs to a gentleman who drives him about 
town in a buggy." 

" I am looking for a horse and buggy ; perhaps you can 
put me in the way of getting one." 

" I believe the owner of this horse is disposed to sell ; but 
here he comes now." 

In fact, that person joined us the next moment. In five 
minutes I had bought the horse and buggy for three hundred 
dollars — a good price in Kentucky at that time. Mr. McKa- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 341 

vett, as the owner was named, got in with me and drove to a 
coach-ma*ker's, where a trunk-rack belonging to the vehicle 
had been left. This was strapped on, and we proceeded to 
the hotel, where I packed my trunk, paid my bill, ordered 
Sport and the trunk brought out, and started at once upon 
my journey. My new friend in the meantime had mounted 
a horse to accompany me a mile out of town, as he said, to 
put me on the road to Nashville and see that all went right. 
All went as well as I could have desired, and I drove twenty 
miles to a house where I had been recommended to stop. I 
was pleased with the horse ; he was only four years old, bred 
in Northern Illinois, and had the fine mule-shaped foot of a 
horse raised in a rocky country. 

The roads were good, and I travelled pleasantly for several 
days, making about forty-five miles a day ; but then came a 
steady rain ; I was, however, prepared for it : an oiled-silk 
cloak of great volume, together with a cap with large cape 
of the same material, that I had procured in Canada a short 
time before, effectually protected me and extended over the 
back and sides of the buggy, while the leather apron of my 
vehicle rendered an equally important service in front. On 
my stopping at a road-side inn to ask a light for a cigar, the 
landlord, who came forth to greet me with a welcome, after 
scrutinizing my apparel for a moment, said, in his loud, hearty 
voice, — 

" Why, sir, a drop of rain strikes the top of your cap and 
never touches the buggy !" 

Two days of this rain was followed by a heavy sleet, that 
began to trouble my horse as I approached a chain of hills 
called the Walnut Ridge near the State line. I stopped at a 
very nice farm-house on the road to light a cigar, near the 
foot of the ridge, when a very respectable, well-dressed person, 
above the station of a common farmer, asked me if my horse 
was rough-shod. On my replying in the negative, he declared 
it would be impossible for me to get up the mountain. And 
to my inquiry whether he could furnish me with a good 
horse, he said he had furnished travellers who had preceded 
me with all his horses, and finally with all his oxen, and that 
29- 



342 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

they would not be back till late. On my observing that I 
was anxious to reach a stand some twenty-live miles distant, 
he said that if a neighbor who had been with him that morn- 
ing had not left the house, he would try to get me through. 
He soon returned with his neighbor ; and having proceeded 
to the ascent, (which was in truth steep,) they advised me to 
get out and drive the horse, while they applied their shoulders 
to the back of the buggy. 

We had scarcely made three paces before my horse came 
down, the road being a sheet of smooth ice, and his shoes like 
polished steel. I applied the whip, and he sprang up like a 
bird ; but I soon found, that, although he could keep his foot- 
ing if relieved from the weight of the carriage, he could not 
pull a dozen pounds without falling. Seeing that I used the 
whip pretty freely, the principal man said, — 

"He's a noble horse: it is a pity to punish him so !" and 
they exerted themselves to their utmost. At length they 
brought me to the summit, after near an hour's labor. They 
now informed me that the ridge Avas quite level, and the 
road in good order for about ten miles ; after which I would 
descend the mountain and have good roads to the house 
w^here I purposed stopping. I very cheerfully offered them a 
five-dollar note, with many thanks for their assistance, with- 
out which I should never have reached the summit that day. 
This they positively declined, saying that if I would give 
them a dollar apiece, they would feel amply repaid for their 
labor, which they had given rather from desire to oblige me 
than from an intention to make money out of me. I made 
my stage without further trouble than that caused by meeting 
a Cherokee train of wagons moving West, while I was 
descending the mountain eastward. The road being some- 
times cut into the side of the solid rock, and I having the 
outside track, was occasionally compelled to drive almost on 
the edge of the precipice. Once indeed I was entering, or 
rather had entered, a very narrow stretch, where two wagons 
could not possibly have passed each other, nor could I have 
backed up the steep, when to my no small concern I beheld 
a wagon approaching the other end. The distance was not 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 343 

more than fifty yards, and I called to the teamster, a rough 
Georgia cracker, to stop his team until I got through. But 
he had the inside track and did not seem disposed to consult 
my safety. Whereupon I caught up my double-barrel gun, 
which by the by was not loaded, and swore a terrible oath 
that I would shoot him if he did not halt his team instantly. 
The threat had the desired eftect. The man drew up, and as 
I passed him I read him a pretty sharp lecture, which he 
took very quietly. I humbly trust the language in which 
my threat was couched has been forgiven ; for the obtuse 
senses of these degraded Indian-white men cannot be moved 
by mild and gentle speaking. In due time I drove into 
Nashville, where I found old Edmonson, and his big son 
John, still in the full tide of business and good cheer of his 
excellent hotel. 

I stopped one day at Edmonson's to rest myself and my 
young horse, who was everywhere much admired for his sym- 
metry of form as well as for his singular markings. On the 
second day, after a 12-o'clock lunch, the buggy was brought 
to the door, and Sport (with the baggage) being duly in- 
stalled, I drove off gayly on my way to Calhoun, distant about 
one hundred and sixty miles, having travelled two hundred 
miles from Louisville to Nashville. My horse moved off 
handsomely, and I felt quite proud of him and his compa- 
nion Si^ort ; the pair attracting all eyes as I drove through 
the streets to the southern part of the city from which my 
road branched off in a south-east direction. 

As I entered the street of which my route was a continua- 
tion, I came upon the descent of a long and steep hill. 
There was a straight stretch before me of about half a mile ; 
and as soon as I commenced descending this paved road, my 
beautiful and hitherto gentle horse made a tremendous leap 
forward, and the next instant his heels were in the air as 
high as my head. In this way we began to move down the 
steep slope by alternate leaps and flinging out of the heels 
at a rate by no means calculated to tranquillize the nerves 
of one at all excitable ; or to soothe his temper if given to 
the little ebullitions of constitutional contrariness which in- 



344 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

duce violent opposition, and even sometimes the diabolical 
desire and eagerness to destroy whatever contributes to dis- 
turb his natural equanimity. 

What my sentiments were, I must leave to your Honor to 
conjecture ; but as to facts, I feel bound to say that I per- 
ceived with some concern a loaded cart, and no one with it 
that I could discover, coming up the hill so near the middle 
of the street, which was by no means wide, that my vehicle 
could not pass on either side without collision and a probable 
crash on my part. My beautiful horse was still going down- 
hill at a rate that in a few moments would have brought us 
upon the cart. 

It was rather an awkward time for reflection, splitting 
hairs, and drawing consequential inferences. In short, I was 
in a diabolical mood at being thus ill-used, without cause as 
I supposed, and thus addressing ray beautiful horse, I said, — 

"If any necks are to be broken here, my beauty, you shall 
break your own first! " 

My eye had caught sight of a large Jackson-hickory-pole 
(an immense tree) on the edge of the pavement on the right. 
With a strong hand I intended to bring his head directly 
against this tree, and break his beautiful neck rather than 
be overturned and dashed on the stones by the loaded cart 
now almost under my horse's nose, with the probability of 
having my own neck very unceremoniously dislocated. 
With this diabolical purpose I had brought the beautiful 
holme's head positively within two feet of the tree, when by 
a sudden and tremendous spring to the right he cleared the 
obstacle, brought the fore-wheels over the curb-stone, and his 
beautiful head into the bosom of a tall mulatto man who 
was standing in the open door of a barber-shop. This tall 
fellow with perfect coolness and steadiness caught the horse 
by the reins near the bit, and held him with a giant's strength 
still and fast. Seeing the man's strength and steadiness, I 
said to him, — 

" Back him out into the street, and see what is the matter." 

He in a moment told me the breech-band had been care- 
lessly buckled round* the shafts without being put through 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 345 

the iron loops which hold the breeching in place and pre- 
vent the carriage from running upon the horse. I then got 
out of the buggy, properly fastened the breeching and in- 
spected the establishment generally. Finding no damage 
had been received by the vehicle, owing to the horse's heels 
flying too high in the air to touch the dasher, I again 
mounted to my seat, and giving the powerful mulatto a present 
for his conduct, I told him to lead the horse out to the middle 
of the street and let him go. He, the beautiful, then went 
gayly but soberly down the hill, and after a mile's gentle 
trot, I "put him out," and he went as steadily as ever. 

This horse was, you must know, no other than " Old 
Whity," General Z. Taylor's battle-steed: afterwards so 
well-known to history, that, wdien the General returned to 
New Orleans after his victory over Santa Ana at Buena 
Vista, a hair from Old Whity's tail was eagerly seized by 
the populace as a trophy when the General rode in the pro- 
cession through the streets. To explain this enigma touching 
my runaway horse, I will here state in three ivords, that, after 
reaching the Headquarters of my regiment at Calhoun, I 
took the horse with me when the regiment marched to Fort 
Gibson, Arkansas Territory, where I rode him for three years. 
At the end of this period, my regiment being ordered again 
(the second time) to Florida, General Taylor, who was at 
Fort Smith on the Arkansas, sixty miles below Fort Gibson 
(and the Headquarters of his Department), came up to Fort 
Gibson to inspect the regiment before its departure for the 
seat of war. He saw my horse, admired him, and expressed 
a wish to possess him, provided I did not intend to take him 
with me. I was, of course, very glad to place my old friend 
in such good hands; and I promised to deliver him to the 
General when we arrived at Fort Smith, where we were to 
embark on two steamers there Avaiting our arrival. My last 
ride on the beautiful horse, on w hom, by the by, I had never 
conferred a name, was on this march of sixty miles. Here 
I took leave of my old friend, and delivered him safely into 
the hands of the General ; after which I went on board, and 
we steamed down the Arkansas that afternoon. The history 



34G LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

of this horse, whom age had finally deprived of his singular 
markings and reduced him very nearly to a pure white, is so 
well known that I need say no more of him. 

I must now return from the digression into wdiich I fell 
M'hen casually narrating the incident of my drive out of 
Kashville. And to do this, I need only say that I arrived 
at Fort Cass (or Calhoun, as the embryo village was called) 
without further adventure than one day overtaking an emi- 
grant family from the *' Old North State," as North Carolina 
is termed, probably hangers-on of the Cherokees, and wending 
their way to the West, to reunite with their red friends. This 
family consisted of a man and his wife ; the complexion of 
the latter being tinged a little with red blood, as well as that 
of the two children who accompanied them, indicated their 
Indian descent. These four were ensconced in a light wagon, 
which likewise carried their household-gods as well as all 
their worldly possessions. A stout dame, whom I afterwards 
discovered to be the man's mother, was mounted on a strong 
farm-horse and led the way. She was a Georgian, as well as 
her son, and of pure white blood ; but as ignorant as the 
savages on the borders of whose country her parents had 
lived, and from among the daughters of whom her son had 
taken his help-mate — or help-meet — a good-looking, young 
woman, evidently of mixed blood as the color that mantled 
upon her round smooth cheek indicated. 

The road just here was very deep with a tenacious mud or 
clay, and as I passed the wagon, I fell in with the matron, 
who boldly accosted me, and freely commented upon the 
appearance of my horse and dog. 

"You beloiiig to a circus company, I reckon?" she re- 
marked. 

" No," said I, " I have not that honor." 

"Then, maybe you're a sleight-of-hand man. I should like 
to see you perform some of your tricks." 

" Wrong again, my old lady," I replied. 

"Well, I reckon you've got something to show in that big 
trunk behind yer buggy, anyhow." 

" Nothing that you would care about seeing." 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 347 

"Then, what on earth are ye, any way — and where are ye 
going with that pretty 'paint-horse' and that big dog that 
sets up so straight in the carriage ? I '11 bet he knows some- 
tiling, for he looks mighty wise." 

" AVell, to let you a little bit into my secret, my good lady, 
I must tell you that I am a person that has what is called a 
'profession) and I am going to join some of my friends who 
have the same profession; and as the road is getting much 
better and I have no time to chat, I must bid you good-morn- 
ing;" and so saying, I trotted on, regardless of the old 
woman's pressing demand to know what my profession might 
be. On arriving at Fort Cass, I found Lieutenant-Colonel 
William S. Foster in command of the regiment, which was 
quite full, and all in good health. 

The following letter is the first of a new series that I find.] 



Fort Cass, on the Hiavvassa River, Tenn. 
November 26, 1838. 

My dear Brother: — I arrived here on the 25th 
October, quite well. . . . On reporting at the Headquar- 
ters of my regiment, I learned from Colonel Foster that 
General Scott had been ordered to this point to look to, 
and if necessary to enforce the removal of the '^ Ross party ^^ 
of the Cherokees, who had refused to give up the lands 
of their inheritance and take up their abode in the country 
allotted them west of the State of Arkansas. Heretofore, 
agreeably to a treaty made with Major jRidgej that chief 
and his adherents had migrated at the time appointed 
and were settled on lands west of the Xeosho, a branch 
of the Arkansas ; but this measure cost Ridge his life; 
for soon afterwards he was assassinated by some of his 
people on the avowed charge of having deceived them, 
and sold their lands to the Government of the United 



348 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

States to gratify liIs own avarice. Meantime John Hoss 
had acquired with the cldcftainship unl^ounded control over 
the leading men of his party ; and having been induced 
by Government, after some years of negotiation, to give his 
assent to the removal of his party, he had ordered the 
sub-chiefs to collect their bands at the little town or vil- 
lage of Calhoun, and lie w^as now sending them off, in 
small detachments as they came in, by the route to Mem- 
phis, where they crossed the Mississippi. [It was the bag- 
gage-train of one of these bands that I had met in descend- 
ing the Walnut Ridge, having previously passed the party 
consisting of the men, women, and children of a detach- 
ment conducted by one of the sub-chiefs. — G. A. IfeC, 
1867.] The Colonel also informed me, that at the request 
of John Ross, General Scott had ordered one company 
.of the regiment (the only troops here) to be mounted and 
sent into the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, 
to hunt up and bring in stragglers. In conformity with 
this order, the Colonel had mounted the first light com- 
pany, "A," commanded by Captain C. IT. Larned, and 
dispatched him upon this service. At about one hundred 
and fifty miles north of our present position, Larned met 
unexpectedly with the family of an Indian known by the 
white settlers of that region as "Old Charles. '^ This 
family consisted of the patriarch, his two married sons 
and their wives, two married daughters and their hus- 
bands, a younger son about sixteen, and three grand- 
children, — in all twelve souls; old Charles, a cunning old 
fox, having taken advantage of the confusion at the 
moment of capture to make his escape. Having dis- 
armed the men even to their knives, the captain put the 
j^arty in charge of one of his subalterns, Lieut. Smith, 
and two men, with orders to conduct them to Fort Cass. 
After several days' march, discovering tliat the women, 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 349 

who had to cany their chiklreii much of the way, were 
in danger of being prostrated by fatigue, the Lieutenant, 
observing tliat the Indian men had been quiet and sub- 
missive, evincing no disposition to escape, ordered his 
men to dismount and give their horses to iha women, 
who mounted '^ a la cavalier ^^ two on a horse, with a 
piGaninny in front; and the march was resumed much 
to the satisfaction of the prisoners. The Lieutenant had 
been furnished with money to procure subsistence for his 
party at the houses occasionally met with along the road, 
whether of whites, or Indians to whom reserves had been 
granted in consideration of their having obtained citizen- 
ship according to the State laws. 

This officer, Lieutenant Smith, who it seems had been 
disarmed of all distrust of the husbands of the women 
by their tranquil demeanor, imprudently rode in advance 
of his party, the Indian men following him, and these 
again followed by the two soldiers on foot, while the 
women mounted on the two horses brought up the rear. 
It appears, however, that the Indians had planned an 
attack upon their captors ; and one of them had managed 
to get possession of a hatchet at one of the houses, while 
another possessed himself of a knife. These weapons 
they concealed under their blankets, and at a moment 
when all suspicion of their treacherous design was ban- 
ished from the thoughts of the soldiers, the savages at a 
preconcerted signal sprang upon their victims ; the skull 
of one was cleft with the blow of the hatchet, and the 
other was stabbed to the heart, while a third like a tiger 
bounded upon the Lieutenant, and seizing him around 
the waist, endeavored to drag him from his horse. The 
horse, however, was a powerful aniuial, and having the 
spurs driven into his flanks by his rider, who was a vig- 
orous man of five-and- twenty, and withal a fine horse- 

bO 



350 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

man, dashed off at a speed that raised the Indian from 
the ground and swung liim dangling at his side. Still it 
was a fearful struggle and long continued. Smith after- 
wards told rae that he was so nearly exhausted that he 
felt he should not be able to maintain his seat a minute 
longer when the Indian^s hold relaxed and he fell to the 
ground. Of his after-adventures I heard nothing; but 
on his return to Headquarters, General Scott ordered 
Foster to march with the whole regiment to capture the 
murderers and execute them on the spot. This order had 
been given the day before I arrived; and orders had been 
issued by the Colonel that the regiment should be in 
readiness to march on the day following that of my 
arrival, i. e. the 27th October. Colonel Foster was in 
bad health at the time, and although he accompanied the 
regiment, he placed me, the senior captain with the regi- 
ment, in immediate command, with authority to regulate 
the marches, make all necessary details, and, in fine, to issue 
such orders as in my judgment might seem proper for the 
good of the service; while he rode with a file of mounted 
men in advance, or having halted at some farm-house, 
he brought up the rear, as his strength might enable him 
to do. The first day's march was accomplished without 
incident. The following day the ReveiUe was, by my 
order, sounded before daylight had streaked the east with 
Aurora's roseate hue, for I was always an advocate for an 
early movement, in order to finish the march soon after 
noontide, that the troops might have time to collect wood, 
prepare their meal for the morrow's march, and make 
themselves comfortable for the night before the day was 
spent. In fine, as the Reveille sounded I arose, took my 
cup of hot coffee, had my horse saddled, and with the 
bridle on my arm was standing in front of my camp-fire, 
when the bugler detailed as my orderly to sound such 



i 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 351 

calls as "halt/' or '^advance/' or any other that might 
become necessary on the march, reported to me for duty 
for the day. I retained my position with my back to the 
fire in a half dreamy mood, for the morning was damp 
and chilly, until the Adjutant reported : 

" The companies are all present, sir," wdien I turned to 
the bugler, and said, — 

" Sound the assembly, Lane/' 

The man, instead of obeying my order, replied in a most 
deliberate tone of voice, — 

" My name is not Lane, sir." 

I looked at the man again, with a faint and indistinct 
feeling of surprise that I could not altogether at the 
instant analyze, for I had only been two days with the 
regiment and had not seen this man before, to my knowl- 
edge. I simply inquired, '^ What is your name?" 

''My name," he replied, with a slow and distinct enun- 
ciation that could not be surpassed, — ''my name is Bur- 
roivsj sir ! " 

I then said, " Well, sound the call ; " and mounting my 
horse, rode out in front of where the line was being formed, 
and took my position. Very soon the Adjutant advanced 
and reported, "The battalion is formed;" whereupon I 
gave the command which the nature of the ground re- 
quired: "Break to the Bight, to march to the Left;^' and 
when we were coming upon the road, the further command? 
" Break into Sections ; " after which I took my place at the 
head of the column, with an advance of a sergeant and 
six men with axes and spades strapped on their backs as 
"pioneers ;'' these men carried their arms as well as the 
implements requisite to remove obstacles, fill up and level 
such places as would otherwise be impassable for our 
wagons, &G., &c. All went on smoothly, and the morn- 
ing being cool, as I have already remarked, the head of 



352 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

the column moved on at a good pace. After about an hour's 
march, however, Captain Gouverneur Morris, the second 
in command, Avhose company happened that day to be in 
rear, (for the company which marched in front yesterday, 
to-day falls to the rear of the column, in order in that 
way to equalize the fatigues of the march,) rode up to me 
and reported that his company was much spread out; for 
you must know that the little detentions to which the 
head of the column may be exposed in crossing small 
watercourses, or in overcoming any obstacles, is greatly 
magnified by the time the rear reaches it, which in turn is 
opened in column and retarded until it becomes laborious 
to keep that part of the column closed. I ordered the 
Adjutant, who was riding at my side, to direct the officer 
leading the column to slacken his pace, and then turning 
to Captain M., who was about to return to his company, I 
asked, " Morris," (he had been at the Military Academy 
at West Point with myself,) — ^^ Morris, do you recollect 
^Cat Lane^ at West Point?'' At this abrupt and unex- 
pected question the Captain burst into one of his peculiar 
and contagious laughs, and replied as he rolled back upon 
his saddle, — 

" Of course I do ; — what of Cat f' 
I replied, '^ Simply that he is with the regiment." 
^' What I ^^ exclaimed the Captain, in a tone of extreme 
astonishment and incredulity, "Cat Lane with our regi- 
ment? — are you jesting, or what on earth can you mean?" 
"I am not jesting," I replied rather seriously, "and I 
mean that Lane the bugler, when we w^ere cadets at the 
Military Academy, is one of the buglers of our band; he is 
my orderly to-day, and when I called him Lane, he 
assumed great gravity, and said his name was not Lane, 
but ^ BurroicsJ " 

"What!" cried Morris in amazement, ^' Old Burroics 
and Cat Lane one ! — impossible." 



nr GEORGE A. McCALL. 353 

" It is as true as that you are Gouverneur Morris, I 
assure you ; and if you will come up to the front when we 
halt for lunch, I will be out of the way and you may 
question him.'^ 

Morris promising to come to the front after lunch, rode 
back to join his company. I will now tell you about Lane 
as I knew him at the Military Academy. He was a 
bugler in the band of Willis, the celebrated key-bugle 
leader. At that time — while I was a cadet — Lane was 
about forty years of age, six feet high, straight as an 
arrow, and of a figure of the finest proportions, that, when 
in full dress of tight-fitting scarlet coatee, white trousers, 
and light sword suspended by a white shoulder-belt with 
highly polished brass plate, was the beau ideal of a soldier 
as far as the jjhysique was to be considered ; but beyond 
that he was so eccentric as to appear at times but half- 
witted. Among his accomplishments, besides being a 
remarkably fine bugler, was the faculty of imitating the 
cries of all sorts of birds and quadrupeds, but particularly 
the caterwauling of the feline tribe, which had gained him 
the appellation of ^^ Cat-Lane.^' 

Such was Cat-Lane when I received my commission as 
Brevet 2d Lieutenant, sixteen years ago. I had not seen 
him nor dreamed of him since. The bugler who reported 
to me on the second morning of our march was a great, 
burly fellow, with a paunch like an ox ; his weight could 
not have been much less than two hundred and twenty or 
two hundred and thirty ; his hair was well grizzled, and 
his fiice bore the expression of one who in his time had 
been rather addicted to strong drink. How it came to 
pass that I should recognize the jaunty, nice, foppish, 
finical Cat-Lane in this overgrown mass of obesity, I have 
never been able to divine. We know that sounds have 
great power in recalling scenes of by-gone days; a single 
30* X 



354 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

note from a musical instrument will sometimes bring 
vividly to mind pleasant or painful reminiscences that had 
long been lost in oblivion. Whether it was the tone of 
voice of this man in reporting to me, that recalled him, 
so long forgotten, to my mind ; whether it was something 
in the expression of his face, however much the features 
were changed ; or something that bore a resemblance, how- 
ever faint, to that immutable stamp which nature had 
placed upon his countenance ; — what it was, I say 1 know 
not ; but I do know" that, after an interval of sixteen years, 
I unconsciously called this man Lane ; and it was not 
until he had told me that his name was not Lane, but 
Burrows, that I became aware that I had in reality called 
him by his former name. It was strange enough, take 
it in any light ; and here comes Morris after lunch, laugh- 
ing to himself 

" Well, Morris,'^ I exclaimed, "what says Cat Lane?'' 
"Oh! it's old Cat! sure enough — ha! ha! ha ! — but how 
in the name of wonder did you find him out?" 

" I cannot possibly tell you anything about it, — I called 
him Lane, but I know not why ; yet the more I thought 
of it, the more I was satisfied that he was the veritable 
' Cat-Lane ; ' — but what did he say ? " 

"Oh! he denied it — ha! ha! — it w^as funny enough. 
As I said, he denied it so stoutly, that at first I thought 
you must have been mistaken ; but I pushed him home, 
and at last I drew from him a full confession." 
"It must have been amusing; — how was it?" 
"Well, — all that he would admit was in substance 
as follows: — After serving two terms of enlistment of 
five years each in the Band at West Point, he declined, 
for what reason I could not clearly ascertain, to continue 
longer in the service of Unele 8am. Being still an active 
man, he went to New York and engaged with a circus 



BY GEORGE A, McCALL. 355 

company as musician. After remaining with these peo- 
ple for a season, he tired of their mode of life, and 
enlisted on board the United States seventy-four ship 
Ohio, for a three years' cruise as member of the Band. 
He served his term in this noble vessel in the Mediter- 
ranean ; returning from this three years' cruise, he sought 
employment with a farmer, and retired into civil life in 
the neighborhood of the city of New York, where he 
remained in the happy enjoyment of rural life, until 
cloyed with the sweets of country existence, he sought 
military excitement and renown in the 4th Regiment. 
Such is the history of Cat Lane, or bugler Burrows, 
since you knew him at West Point, as he recited, I believe 
faithfully, to me. What was his reason for changing his 
name, I did not inquire; — there might have been private 
griefs that I did not feel at liberty to inquire into; — but 
you know, soldiers frequently enlist under feigned names ; 
it seems to be a characteristic of the class, though I don't 
think it indicates, necessarily, the criminality of the pre- 
vious life of the person." — As the time for resuming the 
march had arrived, we mounted our horses, and calling to 
old Gat, or Burrows, to sound the ^^ advance, ^^ we moved 
on. I don't know that I mentioned to you that Colonel 
Foster had very kindly invited me to join his mess. I 
had no hesitation in accepting the invitation, for several 
reasons, among which the more prominent were, that I 
knew and felt that the offer was frankly and cordially 
extended, for we had been on the most friendly and in- 
timate terms for many years ; and because I knew that 
he kept an excellent " cuisine ;^^ and finally, I had just 
joined the regiment and had as yet no outfit. 

In four days we reached the Tuckaseege Kiver, a large 
tributary of the Tennessee. The water was high and 
running furiously. This stream is fordable at ordinary 



35G LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

stages of water ; and Avhenever a large rock, called the 
^' Cherokee rock/^ about a quarter of a mile from our side, 
is plainly visible, the ford may be passed without danger ; 
but when that rock disappears, the river cannot be crossed 
without great danger of the strongest teams and heaviest 
wagons being carried away. We had encamped about 
two miles from the Tuckaseege, the evening before, and 
reached the river at the ford at about seven o'clock in 
the morning. When I arrived at the head of the column, 
I found the Colonel on the river-bank ; and he pointed 
out to me the Cherokee rock, and informed me that the 
people (Indians and whites) in the neighborhood had 
declared the river fordable, if attempted at once and be- 
fore the rock disappeared, and that he had decided to 
attempt it. We had brought with us one wagon to each 
company, besides five more for ihQ transportation of sub- 
sistence for the troops, and a small supply of grain for 
the horses and mules. The wagons had been put in front 
on the march, and were drawn up at the ford when I 
arrived with the head of the column. 

Ten men were at once j^ut into each wagon with their 
arms and knapsacks, in addition to its regular load, and 
started in to try the ford. The Colonel had taken pas- 
sage in the leading wagon. Larned's mounted company, 
which, by the by, had returned to Fort Cass when the 
fatal occurrence to Smith's command took place, was now 
brought forward, and I ordered each mounted man to 
take up behind him an infantry soldier with his musket 
and knapsack, and to enter the stream two abreast. I 
directed Larned to send back the best of his men, each 
leading two horses besides the one he rode ; and in this 
way, with seventy horses, the crossing of the regiment was 
progressing very happily. After a little while, however, 
an incident fell out that was near enouo-h terminating in 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 357 

the loss of one of my men. It so happened that tAvo 
strapping sons of Erin stepped np, as bold as lions^ to 
mount upon the same horse. As it was necessary that 
one of the two should ride behind, that important point 
of etiquette was at last accommodated, at the expense of 
much elegant speech and not a little elocution. Finally, 
being mounted, they entered the stream ; here it was im- 
mediately important that the horse's head should be kept 
firmly up-stream, as the water, though not more than about 
two feet deep, ran with great force, and ten feet below the 
entrance it was six feet deep. 

The fellow on whom fortune had blindly conferred the 
jockey ship, knew no more about a horse than his grand- 
mother; and although cautioned by the sergeant I had 
placed at the entrance to the ford to turn his horse up- 
stream, had somehow gotten his reins crossed, and as the 
blind goddess would have it, turned the horse down- 
stream, and in a moment he was swimming in deep 
water, and through some extraordinary management of 
his bridle-rein the animal was turning round as the cur- 
rent carried him away. The man ^' en Groupe^^ became 
giddy from the combined motion of the horse and the 
water and tumbled off, musket and knapsack (the latter 
he had fortunately unbuckled and carried in his left hand, 
while his right grasped his musket). All this occurred 
in but a moment of time; but as I was sitting on my 
horse at the brink of the river-bank, I perceived that, while 
the horse with the man who was in the saddle was swiftly 
carried down the stream, the other could not swim a 
stroke, and as he went down the second time, I plunged 
my horse into the water. He proved to be a noble swim- 
mer, and suffered me Avithout hesitation to guide him to 
the spot where the man had disappeared. Fortunately 
the fellow's head popped up just to the right of my 



358 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

horse's neck^ and reaching forward^ I seized him by the 
coat-collar. At first he struggled as if an alligator had 
caught him; but as I told him to grasp the horse's mane 
and be still, his senses came to him, and turning my horse 
up-stream, he swam beautifully against the swift current 
and landed us at the entrance to the ford, with no other 
loss than the musket and knapsack. 

The other horse swam down-stream about fifty yards, 
and landed his stupid rider on a sand-flat from which he 
soon reached the firm bank. Without further adventure, 
I succeeded in crossing the regiment, and with my trusty 
steed [subsequently, "Old Whity;' —G. A. M., 1867] 
brought up the rear. 

We had now fairly entered the mountains, well-named 
" Smoky ;'^ for when we had penetrated a day's march 
into their fastnesses, the atmosphere as viewed from their 
summits had a peculiarly smoky appearance, which lent 
a charm to the distant view that I think I have never 
met with elsewhere. On the second day after crossing 
the Tuckaseege we came, at times, suddenly upon its 
banks again as it wound its tortuous course through steep- 
sided, narrow valleys; or dashed like a torrent down 
some straight stretch, tumbling over bouldei's, or rather I 
should say masses detached from the adjacent mountain- 
sides, which made its waves, as they flew by, look like 
great banks of drifting snow that a heavy wind was 
carrying along w^ith it. After marching about one hun- 
dred and fifty miles, we came to the country usually 
occupied by " Old Charles " and his family as a summer 
retreat. Here w^ere his little corn-fields and his leafy 
tents, but no appearance of recent habitation. The head- 
quarters were established here, and half a dozen com- 
panies sent out to search the country far and near for 
" sign " of the runaway murderers. All, at length, re- 
turned after a fruitless search of some days. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 359 

The Colonel now decided to put the thing in the hands 
of the Reserve Cherokees, that is to say, of those who, as I 
before said, had become citizens of the State. He sent for 
the chief (magistrate) ; and this man-in-ofiice consented to 
have them hunted up, apprehended, tried, and executed, 
if found guilty of the murder of the soldiers. 

In less than a week the chief brought in the whole 
party, except old Charles, who was reported '^ non-comata- 
ble in swampoj^ The party however consisted of thirteen, 
the original number, one of the wives having again become 
a mother during their absence from the troops. The court 
or jury had decided that the four men were guilty of murder, 
and they were sentenced to be shot to death. The boy, 
named, by the by, Washington, was recommended for mercy 
on account of his youth and his ignorance of the plot. 

The chief also consented, at the request of the Colonel, 
to have the sentence carried into effect by his own war- 
riors. The whole party were placed in confinement under 
the body of the guard. On visiting the guard, I had the 
men brought out, and through the interpreter I learned 
that Charles' oldest son, a man of about thirty-eight years, 
was the one with whom the plot originated, and likewise 
the one who had cleft the soldier's skull. I requested him 
to sit down upon the ground, that 1 might examine his 
phrenological developments. He obeyed quietly, and sat 
perfectly still, while I made the examination. 

As I looked round upon the group who had, from curiosity 
to see what I might be about, collected in front of me, I 
availed myself of the opportunity to take a cursory view 
of their more prominent traits of character. These, con- 
sidered as the representatives of a class or tribe, were of 
very low order. There was less intellect than I had 
generally seen among those of the nation I had hitherto 
met with. They Avere very dark in complexion and evi- 
dently low in circumstances, probably among the most 
degraded of the tribe. 



360 LETTERS FROM TEE FRONTIERS, 

I proceeded now with the examination. The brain as a 
whole w^as small, I might say very small, though the 
general physique or natural constitution was good ; the 
man was fully six feet in height and strongly knit. The 
most fully developed organs were those of ^' firmness, ^^ or 
perseverance and steadiness of purpose; ^^ self-esteem,^^ or 
love of independence and personal dignity ; ^^ vciieration,^' 
or love for worthless objects consecrated by time, or of 
antiquated customs; and ^' mhabitiveness/^ or the desire of 
permanence in place, or aversion to- move abroad. Now, 
these organs are contiguous, and are situated along the 
top and upper part of the back head, and in this case 
formed quite a ridge. 

In speaking of the organs above named, I have given 
what is considered the abuse of them, — not what are their 
promptings when guided and directed by high moral 
sentiment. His " desfructiveness,^^ or propensity to kill 
and to murder, was moderate or rather weak ; the percep- 
tive faculties were good ; the intellectual quite inferior. 
From this examination, I should say he had been prompted 
to the act for which he was soon to suffer, by an indepen- 
dent spirit that could not brook restraint ; an all-absorb- 
ing love for the country of his birth, the mountain region 
in which his manhood had been passed in tracing through 
its strong vales and over its bleak and rocky summits the 
deer and the wolf; in fine, to that well-known feeling of 
attachment that all mountain-people are understood to 
bear towards the land of their forefathers. 

His willingness to destroy his guard was simply to 
enable the women and children of his party to escape. 
Had he been alone, or with men only, nothing would have 
been easier for him than by a single bound to make his 
escape while passing through any one of the many thickets 
which like a wall enclosed the narrow road. 

The time, however, came for his execution and that of 
his fellows. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 3G1 

At four o'clock p. m., on the day designated for 
carrying the sentence into effect, I formed the regiment 
in line, in front of and facing a small grove of young 
trees, selected by the Indians as the place of execution. 
They had trimmed up four saplings two or three inches in 
diameter and six feet apart, and cleared the ground around 
them. They were in line parallel to the line of the regi- 
ment. The doomed men were now marched along the 
front of the regiment, and delivered by our guard to the 
Indians. Each one was placed with his back against one 
of these saplings; a cord was then passed between the 
body and the arms above the elbows, and this was then 
fastened to the young tree. 

The sub-chief who was in command on the occasion, then 
passed along their line, and tied a strip of muslin, folded 
about three inches wide, over the eyes of each one of them ; 
as the chief came to the elder son, he dropped a silver dime 
from his mouth into the hand of the latter, and requested 
]iim to give it to his wife. All arrangements being now 
perfected, two Indians with their rifles stepped about five 
paces in front of each of the condemned, and were ordered 
to fire, one at the forehead, the other at the heart. The 
chief, who stood Immediately in rear of his men, then gave 
the command with a loud voice (in the Cherokee lan- 
guage), '^ Ready" — ^^Alm" — ^'Fire." The motions were 
most accurately executed by the Indians, and the balls 
were placed with great precision where they had been 
ordered. I was standing about four feet from old Charles' 
oldest son, wdiose head I had examined, and whose counte- 
nance I wished to observe at this moment. From the time 
he took his place, not a muscle of his face moved, the expres- 
sion of his countenance was an unconstrained, undisturbed, 
placid indifference during the deliverance of the words of 
command, and at the report of the rifles I could not perceive 
the smallest motion of any muscle of his face or limbs. 
31 



362 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

For a moment his position was unchanged, then it swung 
slowly to the right and remained suspended by the cord, 
his feet even not having moved an inch. The death of 
three of them ^\^as very much the same as that I have 
described. The fourth exhibited some slight contortions 
of the body, but the warriors in his front speedily reloaded 
their rifles and put a close to the scene. Such was the 
end of these poor children of the mountains and the 
forest. Adieu. 



On board the Steamer Melton, ^ 
Tennessee River, Dec. 25, 1838. J 

My dear Father: — We embarked at Waterloo last 
night, Christmas eve, the whole regiment on this fine 
steamer, and are now cleaving the bright waters of the 
Tennessee (at the rate of ten knots), under a snow-storm 
that would not do discredit to the lat. 50 N. But to be 
acquainted with our movements hitherto, you must be 
informed that we marched from Fort Cass on the 12th 
inst. The Colonel, who was a little unwell, preceded us, 
leaving me to bring on the regiment. We had delightful 
weather for the march to Kelly's Landing (fifty-one miles), 
though the nights were a thought too cool for canvas 
houses. We got along in every respect extremely well, 
though we had to cross the Tennessee twice on the route. 
At Kelly's Ave found the Colonel. Two steamboats had 
been chartered, and one was already at the landing; the 
other arrived at night-fall ; and the following morning the 
right wdng was put on board the Ilarkaway, under the 
immediate command of Colonel F., and the left wing 
embarked on the Jlohton under my command. The 
waters were so low^ that we were a week getting to Decatur, 
being more than half the time aground. The weather was 
cold and rainy, and we had to unload twice; so that what 



BY GEORGE A. Me CALL. 363 

with exposure and getting out of cabin stores, we had by 
no means a pleasant voyage. Owing to the Colonel's 
boat drawing less water than the one I was in, he got to 
Decatur the day before me, and moved on by the rail- 
road to Tuscmiibia. We overtook the right wing the 
next day at Waterloo. 

We have now made about one-fourth of our journey, 
which from Fort Cass to Fort Gibson is by our present 
route about sixteen hundred miles. We are, however, 
now embarked for our legitimate destination, and shall 
not have any more changes to make before we reach it ; 
provided always, that tlie water in Arkansas River is in 
good stage. 

I have brought my horse and dog safely thus far. The 
former rises in my estimation as he proceeds in the direc- 
tion we are going, and several officers have been trying to 
get him from me. But my intention is to carry him 
through, as he has proved himself a valuable animal, and 
is well broken to parade duty. Sport, while sporting too 
freely on the guards of the Holston, pitched into the river 
and had a good swim to the shore. I stopped the steamer 
and sent a yawl after him. On his return the officers 
congratulated him on his good-fortune in belonging to 
^Hlie commanding officer,^' 'as the steamer mir/ht not have 
been stopped, and the yawl lowered, manned, and sent on 
shore for a dog of less rank. 

We are passing Christmas very quietly. — My mind, 
while not occupied in criticising the -effiDrts of those 
around me to make ^'the day'' pass merrily, is agreea- 
bly engaged in depicting to my mind's eye the occupa- 
tions of the dear circle about you. 

I must conclude by offering to you all the best wishes 
of the season. Adieu. 



364 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 



On board the Steamer Melton, Dec. 29, 1838. 

My deah Broiher: — .... Our passage down the 
river was without accident or incident of interest until 
we reached the ^^ Iron banks/' a narrow gorge in the Ohio 
near its junction with the "Father of Waters/' where huge 
masses of rock, piled up to the height of sixty feet on 
eitlier bank, crowd its waters together, and they force their 
way between these beetling walls, as it were foaming with 
rage at being thus checked in their onward course to the 
Gulf. Such is the aspect presented to the eye in summer ; 
but now another and a very different sight was exhibited, — 
the gorge was filled nearly to the top of its massive walls 
with blocks and heavy plates of ice, which effectually 
stopped our course. It appeared that the river at Pitts- 
burg and above had been early frozen over ; afterwards 
one of those sudden changes of temperature which mark 
the climate of Pennsylvania as the battle-ground of the 
north and south winds, had set the ice free and sent it 
down-stream in accumulated rafts, which now defied our 
steamer as eflFectually, for a time at least, as if she had 
lain locked up in Baffin's Bay. 

The Colonel, on consultation with the Captain of the 
steamer, decided on returning to the little town of Trin- 
ity, in Alexander County, Illinois, at the mouth of Cash 
Eiver, and there encamp until the river should open 
again. We soon reached this point; but it was now 
night, and we remained on the steamer till the morning, 
when we encamped about two hundred yards above the 
town in six inches of snow; there to repose, while the 
steamer made a pleasant little ti-ip, and, I dare say, a 
jwofitable one, to Louisville, ostensibly for supplies, and 
promising to return by the time the gorge would be clear 
of ice. 

In a very short time all the shovels of the command, and 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 305 

many more that were improvised for the occasion, were at 
work clearing away the snow from the ground selected for 
the camp. The Colonel had pointed out the site for his 
office-tent, as he wished to report to the authorities at 
Washington the accidental delay thus imposed upon the 
regiment on its march. The ground for his tent was 
soon cleared by the Pioneers, the Colonel's pets, who 
encamped near him, and were always at hand when any- 
thing was to be done. The tent was already being raised, 
when he requested me to go with him on board the 
steamer about to depart, to attend to some matter. When 
about half-way to the water, we met Old Burrows, alias 
Cat Lane, puffing along like a great porpoise, when, 
just as he gave the salute in passing, a good large 
log caught the quick eye of the Colonel. This log, which 
had probably lain where it then was for many a year, 
had so fallen upon the ground that one end as it now 
lay projected from the bed of snow, its upper surface 
being still covered, while its larger end was only traceable 
under the snow. The Colonel turned abruptly and 
spoke, — 

" Burrows ! take that log to my office-tent, and tell the 
corporal to have a fire made at once ! " 

Hereupon Burrows drew himself up with inimitable 
dignity, and having coolly measured the length and di- 
ameter of this piece of fallen timber with his eye, said in 
a very serious but still half-comic tone, deprecative, — 

" It might belong to somebody else. Colonel." 

" Pick it up, you rascal, and begone ! '' growled the 
Colonel, scarcely able to preserve the gravity of his 
countenance. Whereupon, the big bugler, with a half 
groan, half grunt, that might have been heard a hundred 
yards, shouldered the log and marched off. In haste, 
farewell. 
31* 



3G6 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Fort Gibson, January, 1839. 

P. S. — At the end of ten days, days of very uninter- 
esting import to those encamped in the snow, the steamer 
arrived with, as the captain assured us, a full supply of 
provisions ; and having steamed doAvn to the Iron Banks, 
to reconnoitre, returned and re})orted the gorge free from 
ice, and the river open. In due season we arrived at 
Memphis, where the Colonel purposed (being so author- 
ized by the War Department) to leave us and join his 
family at Baton Rouge, preparatory to bringing them to 
Fort Gibson. He here, accordingly, issued an order 
turning over to Captain McCall the command of the 
regiment, and instructing him, in the event of the water 
in the Arkansas being at a low stage, as was probable at 
this season, to bring the regiment to Baton Rouge, there 
to await the June rise of the Western rivers. This was 
throwing upon my shoulders a heavy responsibility ; for 
the orders from Washington to proceed to Fort Gibson 
were pressing in tone, the 7th Regiment, which we were 
to relieve, being under orders for Florida. I had a liigh 
respect for Foster as a soldier of talent, and unyielding 
determination of character, as well as a w^arm feeling of 
personal regard ; but on receipt of this order, I deter- 
mined to carry the regiment through, if among the possi- 
bilities of military marches. And as we entered the 
Arkansas, the captain of the steamer asked me, as if 
feeling his way, how far I expected him to take us ? I 
replied, " Your contract is to take the regiment to Fort 
Gibson ; and I expect you, and shall require you to take 
us there ; and if by any chance that should prove im- 
practicable, you must run your boat hard and fast aground 
in the deepest water in the river, before you get my signa- 
ture to the fulfilment of your contract, and without that 
you cannot be paid." No more questions were asked until 
we reached the city of Little Rock, where we stopped to 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 367 

take in supplies. Here the captain told me he had 
learned on shore that there was scarcely a chance of our 
reaching Fort Smith, or Van Buren, (sixty miles this 
side of Fort Gibson,) and that beyond that point the 
river was impracticable. 

I simply remarked, " We '11 see." 

As we advanced, we occasionally ran aground, and I sent 
out our boats to find the channel. At length it became 
necessary to lighten the boat to enable her to get over 
the shoals ; and I, as the quickest way, landed the regi- 
ment, with orders that they in their march keep abreast 
of the boat. This course was continued for several days, 
and we made about ten or twelve miles a day. One 
afternoon, about four o'clock, we ran hard and fast aground, 
and the boatmen reported they could find no deeper 
Avater. This was rather a poser. We had lost one boat 
the night before, loosed from the stern, whether by ac- 
cident or design, I could not tell. I, however, ordered 
the regiment to be brought on board, which was not 
accomplished till sunset, as we had but a small boat, the 
yawl having taken leave of us. We lay by that night ; 
and the next morning the small boat had taken French 
leave, as was soon discovered. The captain stoutly de- 
nied any knowledge of the matter; however, I had a 
staging thrown out to the river-bank, and the regiment 
was landed. Then a hawser was made fast to a tree, and 
the force of the engine being applied to the capstan, we 
were soon afloat again. This day we had to feel our way, 
and consequently made but about four miles, Avhen about 
three o'clock p. M. we were again hard and fast aground. 
This time the steamer was close ashore on the left bank ; 
the regiment was on the right bank, and here the river 
had expanded to the width of near a quarter of a mile. 
The afternoon, moreover, Avas quite cold and hazy. While 
we on board were resorting to the measures hitherto sue- 



368 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

cessful, but now of no avail, the men were getting impa- 
tient : they built fires along the bank ; and occasionally a 
little clamor, that I heard without being able to distin- 
guish the meaning, plainly told me they were getting 
cold and hungry. I felt much concern at our situation, 
but I sent the mate and one of the hands up the river- 
bank, with orders to take possession of the first craft 
they met with, and without further delay commence the 
transfer of the men to the steamer. In half an hour, I 
was much relieved by the sight of the mate and his fel- 
low coming down-stream with a small ferry-flat, with 
which they were striving, by good steering and the aid 
of the current, to reach the opposite shore. In a short 
time a cargo of twenty men were on board, and by eight 
o'clock in the evening, all were comfortably established 
in their proper abiding-places. 

In the morning, an exploring party, in charge of an 
officer of my command, took the old ferry-flat, and care- 
fully sounding the river, ascertained that we had reached 
in veritable fact the head of steamboat navigation at 
the present stage of water. I at once then ordered the 
Regimental Quartermaster to go on shore, get a horse, 
and proceed to Fort Gibson, now about thirty miles 
distant, and request General Arbuckle to send me all 
his wagons, and to procure as many more from the Che- 
rokees living in the neighborhood of the Fort, as pos- 
sible ; and to return with such means of transportation 
as he could collect, without delay. 

The regiment was landed, and its baggage and sub- 
sistence were neatly arranged for the expected train. In 
the meantime, the engine having proved incapable, with 
an anchor astern, to move the steamer, I told the captain 
that, if he would get up good steam on the morrow, and 
send his hawser ashore, I would take hold of it with the 
entire regiment and haul him ofl'. Accordingly, the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 309 

regiment was paraded at an early hour, formed in line 
alongside of the hawser, while steam was up, and all 
hands on board at their posts. Old Burrows was at my 
side; and having learned that all was in readiness on 
board, I gave the order that the bugler would sound three 
distinct notes on his bugle, and at the third all hands 
would give way on the hawser. The bugle sounded, and 
the men gave way with a shout. The hawser snapped 
like a pack-thread, and half the regiment lay scrambling 
on the ground, while the steamer had not budged a peg. 
I now told the captain to get his best cable ashore, and 
have everything ready on board, and I would try again 
to bring him afloat. 

The arrangements were all perfected ; the bugle sounded ; 
the men gave a tremendous yell, and away came the 
steamer into floating water, but leaving a plank from her 
bottom upon the sand-bar. The boat lay here some days 
for repairs ; but I made the captain, who was a partner 
in the ownership, happy by my certificate that he had 
fulfilled the contract as far as practicable, and was entitled 
to payment for the same. On the fifth day at noon, the 
Quartermaster arrived with a motley train of Govern- 
ment wagons, Indian vehicles of every description under 
the sun, and several, I should have thought, had never 
seen the orb of day before. Suffice it, to cut short a let- 
ter already too long, to state that we reached the Fort 
on the second day, and the 7th Regiment marched the 
next morning on the route by which we had come. Adieu. 



Fort Gibson, Jan. 20, 1840. 

My deae Father:— .... The Secretary of War, 
in his recent report in allusion to the erection of a new 
Fort or Picket work near the present one, says, ^' Due 
attentioD will be given to the healthiness of the location." 



370 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

The climate of the country, I believe, is good ; and in 
order to escape the disease (intermittent fever) which has 
borne so heavily on the regiment the past season, I am 
satisfied that all that is necessary is to avoid local causes. 
No more time should be lost in doing this. 

The quarters and defences of this monument to the 
military science of the dark ages — ydeped^ Fort Gibson, 
are, in honest truth, bad enough. 

The regiment has been principally on fatigue duty 
ever since we came here, patching and repairing; and 
sooth to say, as fast as we prop them up at one end, they 
fall down at the other; and when we prop them up at the 
other end, they cave in at the middle. 

Last week we had the pleasure of seeing the Reverend 
Mr. , who passed a few days with us, and was enter- 
tained at our mess. He is on an extensive tour through 
the South and West, in search of health, intending to 
proceed as far as the Colorado of Texas. A graduate 
of the military academy at West Point, he retains much 
of the kindred feeling there imbibed; he has since travelled 
in Europe, and being a man of fine mind, highly culti- 
vated, liberal without affectation, and of a genial tem- 
perament softened and regulated by a purely religious 
sentiment, I do not know when I have met a gentleman with 
whom I have been so sorry to part after so short an 
acquaintance, — (I had left West Point before he arrived.) 

We have had this month some cold weather. The 
river has been frozen over, and we have filled the ice- 
house. It is again pleasant, and I ride for exercise, or 
shoot, daily. We are all well. Adieu. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 371 

[extract.] 

Fort Gibson, October 29, 1840. 

My dear Father : — We have lately had a visit from 
Mr. John Howard Payne, a gentleman of travel and litera- 
ture, whom you may have seen upon the Philadelphia 
stage some thirty years ago. He came out to these parts 
in company with Mr. John Ross, the Cherokee chief, who 
has lately returned to his people ; and states his object to 
complete a labor he undertook some years ago, — the col- 
lecting of materials for a history of the Cherokee Indians, 
with biographical sketches of their principal men. 

Mr. Payne brought me a letter from Colonel Hook, at 
Washington ; so I had him to dinner, and was entertained 
in return with accounts of his travels, &c., &c. 

He told me that in pursuing his inquiries with regard 
to the Cherokee language, &c., a Mr. Guest, an Indian of 
intelligence and education, and who could speak English 
well, was sent for by lioss to meet him. In the course of 
conversation, Mr. Payne inquired what was the word in 
the Cherokee language which signified a brass kettle. 
Mr. Guest told him. The next day, while again con- 
versing upon the subject of language, he inquired what 
word represented the Great Spirit. The Indian gave 
him the same one which he had given him the day before 
for the brass kettle. This caused Mr. Payne inadvertently 
to smile ; at which the old gentleman was so much offended 
that he remained silent, and could not be induced to 
answer any further questions. I am called away, so I 
must bid you farewell. 



Fort Gibson, April i, 1841. 

My dear Brother : — ... We are still getting on very 
smoothly, without much to commend or much to condemn 



372 LETTFAIS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

in the government of the regiment. If we have had no 
memorable enjoyments to record, we have had few contre- 
temps to regret. K^othing has lately transpired indicating 
a fixedness of purpose in the Head of the War Department 
to carry out what was strongly recommended by that 
functionary a year or more ago, with respect to the 
abandonment of this old tumble-down man-trap, and the 
building of a new fort or cantonment on the hills above 
us. There is no necessity, now, for shutting the men up 
in pickets, as there is no enemy at all likely to trouble us 
between Philadelphia and the Rocky Mountains. There 
is timber abundant within easy reach along the banks of 
the NeOsho and the xlrkansas, from which (the latter) we 
are but little over a mile ; and the troops themselves could 
build good quarters on some one of the airy sites here 
commanding fine views, where pure air and good water 
would insure the health of the command. By the by, there 
is a good wate7' story told about General Ar buckle and the 
7th Regiment, that happened before we came here, and 
wdiich ought not to be lost. 

The General, Avho is the Colonel of the 7th and " Briga- 
dier-General by Brevet, for ten years' faithfid service in the 
same grade,^^ was in the habit of putting one half his regi- 
ment on a little hill just over the head of his fort, during 
the heat of summer. And these men had to carry their 
water up to their camp from the only well at the post, 
which was on the flat near the fort. 

This excellent old gentleman, the General, being rather 
slow in maturing his ideas, and if possible still slower in 
carrying them into effect, conceived the projet, a benevo- 
lent one truly, of sparing the men this labor, (for they 
hauled the water up the hill in hand-carts,) by sinking a 
well in the centre of their camp. And the officer of the 
day was directed to employ two of the guard-house pris- 
oners (i. c, soldiers who for souk? more serious offence had 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 373 

been sentenced by court martial to confinement at hard 
labor) at this work. At first the work went on very well. 
I should have mentioned though, that it had been com- 
menced just at the close of the encampment of 1837, when 
the complaints of the troops there encamped during the 
hot season had at length roused the General to the point of 
giving the order. The officer of the day was also required 
to report progress during his tour. At first, the report 
would be two or three feet, then a foot or ten inches ; and 
so it went on during the winter, the officer merely inquir- 
ing of the prisoners, who were suffered to go to work with- 
out a guard, how many feet or inches they had advanced 
towards the centre of the earth, and their statement was 
entered in his report. The summer of 1838 arrived, with- 
out the prisoners having reached water ; and the troops 
expressed to the General tlieir preference to remain in 
the Fort, rather than to be obliged to drag the water up 
the hill. The good old General acceded to their request, 
but ordered the prisoners to pnsh their work and get 
to water before the summer had reached the dog-days. 
The work went on, and the prisoners reported daily that 
they had gone down so many feet and so many inches 
within that officer's tour, who entered on his report what- 
ever they declared to be the amount of their work. 

Time passed, and the summer had drawn to a close, when 
one bright October day it occurred to the General that the 
prisoners must have reached the level of the river-bottom, 
and it was strange, it was very strange they had not come to 
water. So he called his Aide-de-Camp and requested him 
to examine the guard-reports, and see how deep the well 
was. The Aide-de-Camp, after some time, returned with 
his hands full of papers, and informed the astonished 
General that, according to the daily reports which he had 
carefully summed up, the well teas fom- hundred and sixty- 
jive feet and nine inches deep. Whereupon the General called 



374 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

aloud to his Orderly, and told him in a somewhat excited 
voice to find the Officer of the Day, and with his compli- 
ments to request him to report at Headquarters immedi- 
ately. The officer appeared, and the General desired him 
to visit the w^ell and ascertain, by descending it, the depth 
to Avliich it had been sunk. The former, taking with him 
the corporal of the guard to lower him into this profound 
deep, hastened to what was now an unfrequented spot. 
On reaching the place which was indicated by the wind- 
lass, the corporal seized the handle, and with a few short 
turns the bucket appeared ; the officer boldly entered it 
and prepared for the descent. What was his surprise, 
when at the depth of fifteen feet he landed on a flat rock, 
which covered what he soon found out was the bottom of 
the well, upon which the two prisoners were seated face 
to face, with a pack of cards between them, a-playing 
'^Old Sledge.''^ The facts are explained in a few words. — 
When the prisoners had reached the depth above stated, 
they came to a large gneiss rock upon which it was rather 
tiresome picking; and as they found the temperature a 
pleasant one — cool in summer, and moderate and free 
from the winds of winter, and as they always brought 
their dinners and a jug of water with them, it was quite 
an agreeable, snug little place to pass the day playing 
Old Sledge or All Fours. The thing was carried on so 
skilfully by these fellows, that, together with a little remiss- 
ness on the part of their superiors, the game had been 
successfully played for eighteen months. The hit was too 
palpable ; the well was abandoned, but its vestiges are 
perceptible at the present day. 

My chief amusement of a physical character (I still 
retain my love for reading, and we have a pretty good 
Regimental Library) is partridge and grouse shooting; 
botli are abundant and affi)rd excellent sport. Colonel 
Richard B. Mason, of the 2d Dragoons, who has two squad- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 375 

rons hutted about lialf a mile from the Fort, is an ardent 
sportsman. He has some fine dogs, and I have shot with 
him a great deaL A spirit of rivahy springing up, we 
agreed tliat, when we stopped shooting in the evening, 
we should empty our pockets on the grass and count the 
birds. It was remarkable enough, that, when we shot 
from twenty to thirty birds a day, we never on any single 
occasion differed more than tioo birds, and, remarkable as 
it may appear, it was not a general thing but almost a 
constant one that we counted the saine number of birds 
each. I kept a register from the first of September of last 
year to the first of March this year, during which period 
we shot together, on an average, twice a week ; and the 
difference between us was only two partridges and two 
grouse; — there never was during all this time an unkind 
or hasty expression passed between us. Adieu. 



Fort Gibson, August 3, 1841. 

My bear Brother : — . . . For near a fortnight past 
we have had in session a General Court Martial for the 
trial of Guard-House prisoners ; the hours are from 9 a.m. 
till 3 P.M., and the weather has been intolerably hot. Our 
court-room is anything but an air-alluring apartment, — 
on the contrary, it is one of the most unattractive, unin- 
viting abodes of even-handed justice that ever a lost vol- 
ume of uncontaminated atmosphere found its way into. 
It is on the western face of this redoubtable work, and in 
the second story, separating the quarters of the enlisted 
men from those of the officers on that face. It does not 
extend through the building from ^vest to east, the latter 
portion of its fair proportions being curtailed to accom- 
modate a stairway, except by which there is no legitimate 
approach to this un ventilated hall of justice. 

Yesterday, during a recess, Colonel Mason, who is the 



376 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

President of the Court, asked me whether I had been out 
to look after the young groase? (We do not begin to 
shoot regularly before the first of September.) I replied, 
that, besides being unwilling to encounter the broiling 
sun in August, I had been equally unwilling to expose 
my horse yet to the pestilent prairie-fly ; but since the 
subject had been called to mind, I would ride out towards 
evening and take a look at the prairie. Accordingly, after 
dinner, I mounted my horse, and with Sport galloped out 
about five miles, and found several young packs, but not 
large enough for shooting. Making a detour, in order to 
return by a different route, I came upon a pack consisting 
of the hen and ten young birds, full three-fourths grown, 
at a distance of about four miles from the Fort. I did not 
disturb them after the first flight, but galloped home, 
determined to knock up their quarters in the early morn. 
I had taken the landmarks very carefully, and although 
the ground was at least two miles from the nearest wood- 
land, I felt very confident of finding them in the morn- 
ing. At the supper-table, some one asked if I had seen 
many grouse. I replied, that I had found a good many 
little fellows for September shooting, and about four miles 
from the Fort, a pack of eleven nearly grown ; and added, 
laughing, that I had penned them up, and intended in the 
morning to bring them in. On the morrow, I was up 
before there was any light except that shed by the stars, 
and my shooting pony and Sport being in readiness at the 
door, I mounted and made my way into the broad plain. 
While I am galloping on toward the southwest, guided 
by the stars, I may tell you that my hunting-pony, which 
I call ^^ Dumpling y^ is a little fellow of thirteen and a half 
hands, very broad and strong-limbed ; and can gallop, as 
jockeys say, ^'all dayJ^ At any time that a snap-shot 
may offer, I drop the reins, and he stands like a rock, no 
matter at what gait I might have been riding. But when 



i 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 377 

I come upon a covey, or a pack of grouse, I usually cast 
anchor and dismount. As this may require a little expla- 
nation, I must whisper in your ear. A. little iron anchor 
with three sharp-pointed flukes, is fastened to the end of 
my lariat, and when not in use, is slipped under the head- 
stall of my horse between his ears, where it rests securely 
until wanted ; when thrown upon the ground, the pointed 
flukes catching among the grass-roots, prevent his wan- 
dering. But, hark ! there is the morning-gun ; it comes 
to my ear with a heavy, booming sound, over the damp, 
dewy plain ; but it announces to the inmates of the Fort 
that the day approaches, and with it their labors must 
begin. I am already nearly three miles from the Fort, 
and as the light increases, I begin faintly to distinguish 
my landmarks, and spurring on my little charger, I steer 
with confidence for the ground where I left my little pack 
of pinnated fowl. Now, look there ! just as the sun 
raises his forehead above that swell in the eastern prairie's 
slope. Sport, who has always kept a little in advance, 
draws carefully to the southward. He walks boldly for- 
ward, with head erect, and tail straightened and stifl', 
about one hundred yards. I check my pony, and sit with 
admiring and loving eyes fixed upon my dog, until he 
takes his stand as rigid as a statue. I then dismount and 
walk freely up. At the word '^ forward,^^ Sport bounds 
among them, and the rustling of wings accompanies the 
sudden appearance of eleven noble birds. I had time to 
count them before I raised my gun ; both barrels rang 
out in quick succession, and the old hen and a fine young 
cock, singled from the pack, rolled upon the grass. The 
others did not fly over one hundred yards. Having 
loaded, I walked up. Sport deliberately made his point; 
the birds rose with strong wing, and two more fell at the 
crack of my double barrel. 

In this way, at four double shots, I got eight birds; 
32* 



378 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

the other three gave me rather more trouble ; they sepa- 
rated a little, but with a dog of Sport's nose, that was 
but of little moment. Three single shots finished the 
pack. The work had occupied rather more than a half- 
hour. Then the birds, which while I shot were stowed 
in the capacious pockets of my summer shooting-coat, 
were now strung by the femoral sinew to my saddle, and 
hung on the croup, five and six aside, to keep the balance 
true, or nearly so. This matter being disposed of, I 
mounted Dumpling, and putting spur, was soon on my 
way home at a rattling rate, Sport gambolling in front, 
and crowing in the best humor imaginable. As I rode 
up to the Adjutant's office — the Exchange — at this hour, 
where officers meet to look on at the Guard-mounting, 
and talk over the news of the day, there were a good 
many officers, Indians, and others collected. Some one 
asked Lieutenant Wickliff, ^'How many birds has Mc- 
Call?" He answered, directly, ^'^/eyew." I asked him 
how he knew it? He replied, that before breakfast he 
had ridden out some miles to breathe the air and get an 
appetite ; that he had heard me fire and had counted the 
shots, (the report of a fowling-piece on the prairie, wdien 
the air is still, as in the early day, may be heard a long 
way.) He then called to the Seminole chief, " Holata- 
Emathla,^^ who was standing near me, to count the birds. 
The old chief, who had been a friend and comrade of 
mine years agone in Florida, advanced smiling, counted 
the birds, and cried out, '^ palihumpkin, — eleven.'' 

It was then just eight o'clock. I rode to my quarters, 
dressed, breakfasted, and was in the Court-room at nine 
o'clock. 

What will your Philadelj^hia sportsmen say to that ? 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 379 

Fort Brooke, Tampa Bay, Sept. 30, 1841, 

My dear Father: — As I have heretofore written to 
you, the 4th Regiment received late orders last month, to 
proceed without unnecessary delay to Florida, to relieve 
some artillery detachments that were wanted on the 
Atlantic coast, from Charleston to Augusta, Me. We 
had a fair passage down the Arkansas River, and thence 
by the Mississippi to New Orleans, where we embarked 
in a fine ship, last from Havre, which had just discharged 
her cargo. The Captain had many good things still in his 
store-room, having brought a number of passengers from 
La Belle France. Among his foreign stores, nothing 
attracted my attention more than the Beet-sugar ; the 
other luxuries with wdiich his table was bountifully sup- 
plied, are too common in all our seaports to be remark- 
able. But the loaf-sugar made from the large beet, 
though beautifully crystallized, had, I thought, a peculiar 
flavor, diifering from that of the eane-sugar of our own 
country, which I did not at first like, though after a 
little while the difference was scarcely perceptible. We 
reached the entrance of Espiritu Santo without casualty 
w^orthy of notice, and were there transferred from our 
mammoth ship, which drew some thirteen feet, to Gov- 
ernment tenders, which brought us safely to the dock 
here. The regiment lay in camp outside the pickets, 
with the 6th and 8th Regiments, until Colonel Worth's 
plan of campaign should be matured, and an advance to 
the South, where the enemy was reported to be in force, 
might be ordered. 



380 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Fort Brooke, October 25. 

My dear Father : — Orders were issued yesterday 
for the advance, and we shall be in motion to-morrow. 
No mail has left since our arrival, — rather a long in- 
terval, — and I shall leave my letters here to be for- 
warded by the first vessel bound to New Orleans. 

There is nothing new. The troops are healthy, and will 
march in fine spirits. The weather is charming as usual. 
Love to all. Adieu. 



Camp — 20 miles within the Great Cypress, 1 
December 14, 1841. i 

My dear Father: — An Indian arriving express 
from the Post on the Carlos-a-hatchee, brought me 
yesterday a most acceptable package of letters which 
followed me from Fort Gibson to a point where, I will 
venture to say, you little thought at the time of writing, 
one of your epistles would ever penetrate. 

We marched from the Carlos-a-hatchee on the 3d 
inst., with eleven companies of the 4th, 6th, and 8th 
Regiments, and two companies of Dragoons, carrying 
with us provision for fifteen days. Colonel Worth ac- 
companied the expedition about thirty miles to the edge 
of the ^' Big Cypress Swamp," where he took leave of us, 
delivering the command to Major Belknap. It was at 
first the Colonel's intention to advance on the Cypress, 
which runs nearly north-east and south-west across the 
peninsula, (about thirty miles south of the Carlos-a- 
hatchee,) in three columns, of one of which I was to have 
had the command ; but owing to the difficulty of penetrat- 
ing the country by any route but the old Indian trail, he 
decided on advancing in one column, and dividing the 
forces into two columus after reaching the Cypress ; 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 381 

where, at last accounts, the Indians were secreted on 
islands supposed to be inaccessible to the troops. We 
accordingly marched in one column under Major Bel- 
knap, the right wing being commanded by Major Graham 
of the 4th, and the left by myself, (two or three senior 
captains having been left, with their own companies only, 
in command of Subsistence Depots.) This arrangement 
gave me a horse — a fine, active animal — from one of the 
dragoon companies. We had scarcely advanced out of 
sight of our Post, before we got into water, and were 
seldom out of it again for two days and a half, when we 
reached the Cypress. Thus far we had passed through a 
pine and palmetto country with firm sand bottom. Our 
progress was slow as we marched through water from six 
inches to two feet in depth. We passed occasional swells in 
the land that were not under water ; these (though rather 
of the moistest) served for resting-places, and sometimes 
for encamping-grounds, when no dry land was to be 
found. 

At length we encamped on a little pine island, on the 
threshold of the formidable, the horridly gloomy-looking 
Cypress, into which we were to plunge the next morning 
with the determination to make our way to the abiding- 
places of the long-hunted and now hard-pressed Semi- 
noles. JSTo troops had ever yet penetrated more than 
skin-deep into this last refuge of the savage. The island, 
on which the Council was held last summer, at which it 
was resolved to put to death any man who proposed 
peace, we were told by the guides was thirty miles south- 
east, near the centre of the Big Cypress ; and that there 
we should find the Prophet's band. To reach this island, 
to fight and capture this band, and to return, ten days' 
rations would be necessary ; [a soldier cannot well carry 
more than five, in addition to his arms, with sixty rounds 
of ball-cartridge, &c., &c. ;] and it was now ascertained 



382 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

that pack-mules could be forced through by but one route. 
Again the plan of separate columns had to be abandoned, 
and we entered- this gloomy domain together. The first 
step was knee-deep ; but suffice it to say, that in two and 
a half days, sometimes putting six men to each mule to 
drag him through a bog, ^ve reached this place, a distance 
of twenty miles. 

Here we found a good pine island to encamp on ; but 
here also we were told by the Indian guides, that neither 
horse nor mule could go further. The Prophet's Island 
lay about eight miles due south, and there was another 
settlement of a few families to the westward, five miles. 

The next morning. Major Graham was ordered to 
march with two companies to the latter point, — while 
Major Belknap moved with the remaining six companies 
for the former. We had a terrible swamp to pass through ; 
but on arriving within a mile of the spot, the Major di- 
vided his force, giving me, besides my own company, one 
of the 6 th Regiment, under Lieutenant Emory, and one 
of the 8th Regiment, under Captain McKavett. Here 
we separated, he eastwarclly, I westwardly, so as, if pos- 
sible, completely to surround the island. But, alas ! the 
bird had flown; we found nothing but the corn and 
pumpkin fields, and the deserted lodges; — from all ap- 
pearances, they had been abandoned near a month. We 
encamped on the island, and had a good supper on roasted 
pumpkins. The next morning I took forty men of my 
company for an exploring party. I steered south, and 
after wading about two miles, came in sight of a live- 
oak hummock, lying eastwardly ; for this I steered, and 
soon saw signs of Indians. 

After an hour's wanderino^ throuo;h the tall brush and 
brier, often having to cut my way, I found a settlement of 
four lodges, with a corn and pumpkin field, but apparently 
as long abandoned as the others. We, however, found the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 383 

track of Indians, who had been there on a visit about ten 
days previous. None of our guides knew anything of the 
country south of the Prophet's Town ; but my guide no 
sooner saw the track and was told to follow it, than with 
the wonderful skill of his race, he carried me across the 
island in a southerly course, where the Indians had again 
taken to the Cypress and had gone south. Through many 
parts of the Cypress here, there grows in the water a long 
grass, which, when pressed down by a person in passing, 
does not rise again, and thus leaves a very plain trail. T 
followed this trail for some miles, when it led me to a 
small wet prairie. Here the party had separated for the 
purpose of leaving no trail on ground comparatively dry ; 
but the guide soon found and pointed out to me the foot- 
prints of six men and one woman who had walked here 
abreast and about three yards apart; again, when they 
came to water they came together. After some time I 
came to another and larger prairie, alternately dry and 
wet, having on the east in the distance a large live-oak 
hummock, on the south a formidable cypress, and on the 
west strips of pine woods. Here Ave pressed hot upon the 
trail, and the guide expressed his belief that the Prophet 
could not be many miles off, judging from the appearance 
of the country. But we had not gone far before the guide 
discovered that they had been playing a deep game, which 
is managed in this way : — When they wish to conceal their 
abode, their approach to it is never direct, and perhaps 
often leading you by a plain trail past it ; the foremost of 
the party will, by making a high, long step over the top. 
of the grass to the right or left, light upon the toe only, 
and step by step carefully arranging the grass thus dis- 
turbed, make his escape; his absence w^ill scarcely be ob- 
served upon the trail, and the one who siicceeds him as 
leader, pursues the route for some hundred yards, w hen 
he makes his escape in like manner; and so on, till but one 



384 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

is left, and he also continues the direct course, till deep 
water, a thicket, a rock, or something of the kind, affords 
him also an opportunity to escape, and the most skilful in 
this accomplishment brings up the rear. 

This game was successfully played in this case, the last 
one being a man with a very large foot (for an Indian). 
He led us to a deep pond, where among the rocks he 
gave the slip to all pursuers. We searched around the 
pond, but could not discover a trace of where he had left it. 

I then determined to search the hummock on the left, 
and after some difficulty we made our way into it and 
searched for a considerable distance. Here also we found 
a pumpkin-field, but no recent signs. Here let me men- 
tion that in this region the pumpkins bear all the year 
round. We have always found them on the vines in 
every stage, from the blossom to maturity ; and so it is 
said they continue till spring, when the vine does not die^ 
but new leaves cast off" the old ones; it begins to run 
rapidly, and soon recommences to blossom. It is said the 
same vine continues in this way to bear for many years. 

But to return to my excursion. I continued my profit- 
less search till near night, when I returned to the village 
and slejTt well. On this occasion, having no transporta- 
tion, each officer carried his own blanket and his provi- 
sions. The only change of clothes I took was a flannel 
shirt and a pair of socks. Our rations being consumed, 
we were compelled to return to this point, where we had 
left what had remained to us. On our arrival we found 
Graham had come in the day before, having like our- 
selves been disappointed. 

It is thought, however, the Indians are somewhere 
down there still ; and as w^e expect a supply of rations 
to-morrow, we shall set out with as much as we can 
l)ropcrly carry, and penetrate, if possible, to the end of the 
land. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL, 385 

I never was in better health, notwithstanding the ex- 
posure, without tents, one blanket, and the same clothes 
to sleep in at night that one has waded in all day. 

The express who carries this letter will soon set out ; 
I must therefore bid you farewell until we return from 
the proposed scout, which, I trust, will be more successful. 



Big Cypress Swamp. Fla., 1 
Depot No, I, Dec. 25, 1841. j 

My dear Brother: — ^^ 3Ic roici,'^ reclining at full 
length upon . my only blanl'ct, which is spread upon a bed 
of deep-green palmetto-leaves, and guiding the pen as well 
as may be in that position, to say how sincerely I wish 
you all a ^' ^lerry Christmas and a Ha])py New Year 
and many, many returns of this season of gratulation.'^ 

My last letter, which, if I recollect right, was dated 
about the 14th, gave you some account of our first scout, 
wherein I informed you that, after finding that the Pro- 
phet had abandoned his village and fields, which were 
snugly ensconced in a heavy cypress swamp, the island 
on which he had established himself containing about 
thirty acres of very rich land, and being surrounded by a 
deep boggy girdle, where the water was nearly waist-deep, 
I made a little excursion still further south, with a part 
of my company, and found a trail, which, after following it 
some miles, I lost, having only the satisfaction of knowing 
that I had penetrated some distance to the southward of 
any other white man. However, my report to the com- 
manding officer had the effect to change the whole plan 
of campaign in this quarter. For concurrent intelligence 
received by him while I was out, had led to the belief 
that the Indians had abandoned their strong-holds in the 
cypress and gone to the Okeechobee, and he had during 
the day dispatched to Colonel Worth an express, saying, 



386 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

that he should break up his depots hereabouts and j)ro- 
ceed northwardly. I protested, modestly, against this 
course. I told him, that what I had seen that day only 
convinced me that we knew positively nothing of the 
country as yet; that the country began to change its fea- 
tures as I progressed to the south ; becoming clearer, and 
interspersed with more frequent patches of pine and sa- 
vannah land ; that in my front, at the time I lost the 
trail, lay an enormous mass of dense and heavy cypress, 
on the farther side of which would probably be found a 
stretch of country as distinctly marked as itself, and of 
opposite character, that is, of an aspect as favorable as 
this is dense and forbidding ; for such are the freaks dame 
Nature has played in this unparalleled region ; and that, 
such being the case, there we should assuredly find the 
Indians. At any rate, it was worth the labor to explore 
it before w^e left the South. And so it was decided on that 
night ; and the following morning we retraced our steps to 
our camp (Depot No. 3), and counter-communications were 
forwarded for a further supply of provisions. In forty- 
eight hours we got six days' supply, with which, and one 
day's supply on hand, we set out to seek adventures. Fiv^e 
days' rations of hard bread and meat, witli sixty rounds 
of ball-cartridges, blanket, &c., &c., is as much as a soldier 
can move comfortably with on good roads. We, however, 
took seven days, not knowing how I'ar we might be led. 
Thus, each officer was compelled to say to himself, " Now 
must I determine to regulate my appetite according to the 
strength of my shoulders, or, at least, by the burden I 
am willing to oppress them withal ; " for horse or mule 
could not pass four hundred yards beyond our depot. 

Thus equipped, we took up our line of march in three col- 
umns, (each column moving in Indian file,) the centre com- 
manded by Maj. Belknap, the right by Major Graham, and 
the left by myself Our course was south. On the second 



\a 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 3S7 

day, when we arrived at the ground where my guide had 
lost the trail, the search was renewed, but without success. 
We continued to coast the immense cypress, I liave before 
spoken of, through a varied growth of small cypress, pine, 
and scrub, in the hope of striking the same trail. In a 
few hours we found the trail of three men, two women, 
and two children, which, on reaching the large cypress, 
continued to coast it. We followed until it was time to 
encamp, which we did on rather damp ground. After a 
cold, sleepless night, we again resumed the trail, deter- 
mined to follow it, although some ten days old at the least, 
until it conducted us to the grand rendezvous, which 
was probable, or until we overtook the party and then 
compelled them to lead us thither. You must recollect 
we had been marching two entire days through a country 
entirely under water, except occasional small islands of 
from one to two or three acres. Soon after we started, the 
third morning, the air being cold enough to make one's 
fingers tingle, our trail turned into the Big Cypress, and 
we stepped from water ankle-deep to water knee-deep, and 
which after some time reached our waist-bands. In a dark 
cypress like this, where the direct and cheering ray of the 
sun never finds its way, the water is proportionably colder, 
and for five mortal hours, by watch, did we toil through 
this water, never less than knee-deep, without finding a 
resting-place, except once for a sliort time we contrived to 
cluster on a little island one hundred yards square, which 
halt was not included in the five hours marching-time. 
You cannot form the most remote idea of the region we 
passed through, and which the Indians doubtless thouglit 
would prove an impassable barrier. The bottom was 
boggy, and the water was filled with old logs, snags, 
cypress-knees, and vines innumerable. The cypress, of 
towerlncr heio^ht, was intermino^led with cabbas^e-trees of 
several distinct species; — the whole were covered with 



388 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

iiiillloiis and myriads of ^^ air-pkmts,'^ some budding — 
some in bloom — some in seed. I counted nine or ten 
species, some extravagantly curious — some singularly 
beautiful. But the most wonderful of all is a vine, which 
fastens itself upon the cypress, and forming a kind of net- 
work around the gigantic trunk, the difPerent branches 
where they cross each other not merely interlacing, but 
actually incorporating, (for they are covered by but one 
bark in that connection, as wonderful as it may appear), 
and so continuing to ascend the leafless shaft, until they 
reach the top, when, wonder of wonders, these vines all 
unite, incorporate, and become a tree which in some 
instances, with a trunk larger than my body, rises some 
twenty feet above the cypress, and is in shape, in the 
color of its bark, and in the leaf, which is a deep-green, 
like the bay -tree. In gazing round at all these new sights, 
I frequently came near pitching over a log, head foremost, 
into the water. At length we got through, passed a nar- 
row skirt of dry pine land, and then came to a wet prairie ; 
thus we followed the trail until night, when we found 
good encamping-ground. 

The third day, after crossing the prairie, we came to a 
second cypress, little inferior in Avidth and nothing in 
depth to the other ; this we passed also, and then came 
into a difPerent country. There was more pine timber and 
less water. Here we found tolerable ground for sleeping 
on. By the by, I should have mentioned that we had been 
constantly gaining in the chase, passing sometimes two, 
sometimes three of their encampments in a day. 

It was a sad reflection that their appearance called up. 
To what extremities must the poor wretches have been 
driven, when they sought such a country as a refuge! 
The alligator, sometimes a crane, and the cabbage-tree, it 
was apparent from the relics that remained from their 
supper, were their only food. The fourth day we con- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 389 

tinned the pnrsuit, onr gnlcles never at a loss in tracing or 
rather trailing, and through a country still improving, 
though a couple of hundred yards brought us into water 
more or less deep, through which we marched the greater 
part of this day. We had been making something of a 
semicircle in our course, (writing in this position is getting 
confoundedly tiresome, and I must make short work of 
my narrative,) — we had gone south for a day or two 
nearly to the Mangroves, which border the big waters, and 
then westwardly. We resumed the trail the fifth day at 
sunrise as usual. The signs became fresher, and we were 
pushing on with vigor, being assured by our guides that 
before night they would bring us to the acquaintance of 
Indians, be they more or less in number. But we had not 
indulged this hope long, before the stillness and silence 
with which our march had been conducted, was broken in 
upon by a musket-shot, at some distance to the left. This 
brought us to a halt, and it w^as soon ascertained that one 
of the flankers of Major Graham's column, which was that 
day on the left, was missing. A second and a third shot 
soon told us that the man w^as lost, and a party, with an 
Indian, was sent after him. But the chief guide at once 
pronounced the game up. He said that the Indians could 
not be more than three or four miles ahead of us, and that a 
surprise was now out of the question, and their escape was 
certain. At length the culprit was brought up — a scoundrel 
Irishman, who, in momentary alarm of being left alone in 
the wilderness, had by his folly and rashness destroyed the 
hopes of many days, during which we had undergone such 
toil and exposure. There was but one cry — " Shoot him ! " 
He was punished, though not as he certainly deserved. 

Again we proceeded — entered a deeper cypress, and the 

guides, five in number, shortly after requested that they 

might fall to rear of the advance-guard, as w^e should 

soon be upon the enemy ; it was impossible for them to 

33- 



390 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

say whether tliey would fight or flee. This was done ; 
and thus we proceeded between two and three miles, when, 
sure enough, the rifle's crack was followed by the war- 
whoop. A sergeant and one private of the advance fell 
dead. The heads of columns were at that instant entering 
a deep lily-pond in the cypress, the advance about half- 
way across it. I was that day leading the centre column, 
and at the moment immediately in rear of the advance. 
I gave the word ^'forward,^^ — my own company, which 
was with me, answered the whoop with a shout of defiance 
and rushed on. AVe struggled through the water to the 
live-oak hummock from which the Indians fired — gained 
dry land, and routed them before more than a third of 
tlieir number discharged their rifles. Some shots were 
fired at the scoundrels as our men saw the bushes move, 
but without success. Here I was joined by two com- 
panies of the 8th Regiment, which with my own con- 
stituted my column ; the pursuit was then commenced, as 
soon as the men could be so extended as to cover a wide 
front. We found ourselves in a dry hummock which now 
became comparatively open. It is needless to say the 
pursuit was vain. They would not rally, and I soon 
found the country became so clear of brush as to preclude 
the hope of their so doing. At this time too I was re- 
called. In returning I struck a trail which bore ofP to 
the right. Following this, I was led to the village which 
had been abandoned that morning, and the women and 
children sent off; Graham having returned from a like 
fruitless pursuit to the left, in which direction some of 
the enemy had retired. They were computed at about 
fifty strong, and would have been surprised with their 
women and children in the village, had not the Irishman 
betrayed our approach by firing his gun. The sun was 
now getting low, -and the guides declared nothing more 
could be done that night. The next morning it was as- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 391 

certalncd that the Indians had fled In the opposite direction 
from our depot ; we could expect to do nothing in less 
than two or three days' pursuit, and we were in a direct 
line already three days' march from camp, and with but a 
scant supply for two 'days. Galling as this was, we were 
compelled to steer our course homewards. This place 
being nearer than the depot we left, we marched for it, 
and arrived yesterday, a little hungry, some of the men 
having been two days without bread. We are all in 
good health, however, and shall try it again on the 27th 
inst. ; perhaps better luck next time. 

Altogether, it is thought to have been the roughest and 
most fatiguing scout perhaps ever made in Florida. 



Camp Doane — Big Cypress, January 16, 1842. 

My dear M : I wrote to my brother on Christ- 
mas-day, and gave quite a long account of our movements. 
Two days afterwards we broke up the depot at that point 
and marched hither ; establishing also another some six- 
teen miles lower down. Here we remained one day re- 
fitting, and the following, having left one company of the 
8th Regiment in charge of the supplies, we marched some 
sixteen miles further south, taking with us the mules 
lightly packed, which we succeeded in getting through 
the swamps. Here, however, was the ultima-thule of our 
faithful beasts of burden, and we were left to the stout- 
ness of our own backs and shoulders for the further 
transportation of our bedding and provisions. The next 
morning, four divisions, of two companies each, marched 
in different directions with six days' rations. To give 
you some idea of the country, I must tell you the main- 
land terminates at Cape Roman, all the southern portion 
of the peninsula laid down on the maps being but a vast 
conglomeration of islands of all sorts, sizes, and descrip- 



392 LETTERS FROM THE FROKTIEES, 

tions^ — some being entirely sterile, others covered with 
Black Mangrove trees, (which is by far the largest class,) 
others again, with pine, cabbage-trees, or live-oak, while 
some are of a wild mixture of all four. The general 
character of the mainland south of Carlos-a-hatchee is 
one vast plain of scrub-cypress and stunted pine, all under 
water, from three to twelve inches, intersected by numer- 
ous deep channels and heavy cypress-swamps, dotted with 
small islands or dry spots of cabbage-tree and pine, with 
here and there a large dry hummock, or long pine ridge. 
Well, our four divisions marched in the directions desig- 
nated; but before I had got well established on my 
course, having come to a dense and wet scrub, the three 
Indians who had been allotted to me as guides, declined to 
lead the way, although no hostile aspect lay before them ; 
and their conduct on the occasion satisfied me that I could 
not place the slightest dependence on their assistance in 
following a trail, should I strike one, when the slightest 
chance of meeting an enemy w^as probable. I was accord- 
ingly compelled to take my pocket-compass and take the 
direct course through all obstacles; which, with the aid 
of a heavy hunting-knife, I effected through tangled juni- 
per, beds of reeds, &g. But it is idle to relate the annoy- 
ances constantly occurring from a total want of knowledge 
of the country, and a treacherous want of assistance from 
guides on whom one is told to rely. But I pushed on, 
and at last struck a trail of three men, when I brought 
the Indians to the front, and compelled them to follow it. 
This I was soon satisfied was — as they told me at first 
— the track of some of the men Avho had fired on us on 
a former scout. Knowing it was useless to follow a trail 
ten days old, and believing, as I had been told, that we 
sliould find fresh signs near Malco River, I left the trail 
and pushed on. In a short time I met Graham and 
McKavett, and we went together to Malco. On meet- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 393 

ing tliese officers, they told me of the same treachery and 
rascality on the part of the guides, — that, in fact, they 
had been useless. I then proposed to Major Graham 
that we should brins^ the Indians too:ether and settle the 
point at once. After pushing the chief home, he candidly 
acknowledged they had determjned not to expose them- 
selves to be shot in ambush, and would not hunt out 
trails any longer, unless the three columns marched to- 
gether, and so disposed themselves as to protect entirely 
the body of guides, ten in number, from surprise and 
assault. All acknowledging it useless to proceed singly, 
we determined to return in three separate, but nearly 
contiguous columns, each column presenting a broad 
fi-ont, with an advance on either flank, so as to afford 
perfect security to the Indians. In this way we returned, 
making a wide sweep to the west ; and thus in our way 
down and back, having passed through all the worst coun- 
try between this post and the Mangroves, without meet- 
ing with Indians or seeing a ''single fresh sign.'^ AYe 
were all then satisfied that the Indians had retreated to 
the Mangrove Islands, and Colonel Worth was advised 
to fit out a boat expedition to the Mangroves, to start 
from Tampa. In the meantime, however, to render as- 
surance doubly sure, another scout in somewhat the same 
direction was decided on. But forty days constant march- 
ing through mud and water, exposure to the heavy dews, 
without tents, and at times a scarcity of food, had laid 
our force of eleven hundred men upon the shelf. Eleven 
hundred men against a handful of savages! you will 
say, how^ ignoble and pitiful a service ! And so it is. 
But we have a great extent of country to cover at 
the same time, and we have to follow the flvino- savage 
into fiistnesses in which the wolf would starve. How» 
ever, when i\\Q thing was decided on, it was found, on 
examination, that out of all the companies present, eight 



394 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

liiuidred men, we could muster but two hundred mc: fit 
for field duty; disease, and the wear and tear incidental 
to the exposure of the physicals in such a country as this, 
having rendered the remainder incapable of active ser- 
vice. These two hundred men were organized, forming 
four companies of fifty men each, two of which were 
placed under my command, and two under Captain 
Screven, and the command of the two divisions given to 
Major Graham, with orders to separate or keep united, 
as circumstances might require. As the officers were 
broken down pretty much in the same ratio with the men, 
two to each company was all we could muster. (Here let 
me remark, my own health has been and continues to be 
excellent). However, we had no occasion to separate, 
having traversed a great range of country without seeing 
a sign of an Indian. We returned night before last, 
having been absent seven days — and being fully satisfied 
there is not an Indian on this side of the Mangroves. 

A boating expedition has started for the Mangroves, 
and we are waiting to see whether they will drive the 
Indians this way or round to the Everglades. God speed 
us to a termination of our disgusting, but arduous, and I 
fear thankless toils. 

Some drops of rain have found their way through my 
palmetto shed upon my paper, which warns me to close 
the letter before it is obliterated by the evening shower. 
In addition to this, my position is anything but elegant or 
comfortable, I therefore bid you a good-night. 



Fort Brooke, Tampa, Feb. 27, 1842. 

My dear E : Give me joy: I am out of the 

" Big Cypress " at last ; and in good health. 

Now, then, let me thank you for your kind letter 
which reached me in the Pays Bas, and which I should 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 395 

have answered at the time, but that I had nothing of 
interest to impart, and was withal either much occupied 
with military matters, or felt too tired and out of heart 
to take up the pen. But I grasp now with a hard and 
sun-burnt hand the quill I plucked from the wing of a 
Wood Ibis [Tantalus loculator) I shot on the " Thath-lo- 
popka-hatchee,^ or ^^ Fish- eating creek,^^ a tributary to 
the w^aters of " Okee-cho-bee/^ or "Big Water lake/^ some 
days ago on the march hither. As this same bird afforded 
me a good dinner, supper, and breakfast, and as its name 
and character may not be familiar to an inhabitant of the 
Middle States, I must tell you it is quite a large bird, 
being about forty inches long, from the tip of the bill to 
the end of the tail, and sixty inches from tip to tip of the 
extended wings, with a long (nine-inch) curved bill. Its 
color is whitish, wdth black tail and quill-feathers. The 
body is nearly as large as that of a goose, with well-de- 
veloped breast, and on the table, as I thought at the time, 
was not in tenderness and delicacy of flavor very inferior 
to your celebrated wood-cock, and like that bird it in- 
dulges in rather a promiscuous diet; but instead of 
w^orms and other soft insects, together with snails and 
leeches, which the wood-cock greedily devours, the Wood 
Ibis swallows frogs and other small reptiles, and, it is said 
by our guides, sometimes young alligators, though of this 
I am inclined to be sceptical, since I made that dainty 
repast upon its flesh. My appreciation of its excellence 
on that occasion may have been influenced, perhaps, by 
the fact that I had eaten nothing more palatable for some 
months past than strong, salt pork. But with my Ibis 
pen let me inform you, that since my last letter, which 
was written something more tlian a month ago, I have 
been employed on duties pretty similar to those therein 
detailed, though of less laborious character. I^eaving 
the watery deserts, I reached Fort Fanning on the 25th 



396 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

January. The Indians having been driven from the south 
and east, had (some of them) sought refuge in the scrubs 
and hummocks around Is-toh-po-ga Lake, and thither 
we marched, crossing the Carlos-a-hatchee near its source, 
and steering northwardly. We were now, however, 
entering a country in which horses could be used, and 
from that time I had one at my command. But the idea 
of catcJiing Indians even here was looked upon as per- 
fectly ridiculous. They have become wilder and more 
vigilant than the beasts of the forest, and show more 
caution and sagacity in moving and concealing their wives 
and children than does the wild deer towards her fawn. 
A wiser and more humane policy was adopted ; the troops 
were marched to the vicinity of the district known to be 
their abode, and then some friendly Indians were induced 
by heavy bribes to venture forward and throw themselves 
in the way of their former friends, — an undertaking 
perilous in the extreme, — and if admitted to a talk, instead 
of being shot down, to endeavor by persuasion and large 
promises to induce them to come in ; at the same time 
to assure them that the troops would continue the chase 
to the very last, in case of refusal. 

The hour was propitious ; they were found much 
harassed and broken down in spirit and in body. The 
women, who throughout the war have displayed more than 
Spartan heroism, now wept and implored their husbands 
to yield to the entreaties of the envoys. Three days and 
sleepless nights were passed in combating the resolution 
never to leave Florida. But the ladies at length (as is 
always the case) prevailed, and Assinoah, the chief, con- 
sented to come in. They have been allowed some time to 
collect the aged and infirm, which with the household- 
gods are carefully bestowed in distant, secret places, and 
then to march to Camj) McCall on the Peas Creek, where I 
left Maj. Belknap some days ago, awaiting their arrival. I 



B Y GE ORGE A. Mc CA L L. 397 

was ordered here with my company, which with one other 
of the 4th Regiment now constitutes the garrison of this 
place. Four companies of our regiment will probably be 
here during the summer. The 6th Regiment has left for 
Jefferson Barracks, and the 2d Infantry and 3d Artillery 
will go in a month or two to the North or East. All this, 
you see, is favorable to the closing of the war. If Assi- 
noah comes in, he will bring in about 120 souls, and then 
there will be but 190 or 200 left. When our regiment will 
get out, and where we shall go, I can form no conjecture. 
I must go to bed, /or now I have a bed! I slept last 
night in a bed, and in a house for the first time since I 
left Fort Gibson on the 15th September last. God bless 
you. G. A. McC. 

P. S. — As the transport which is to carry the mail will 
be detained till to-morrow, I will give you a resum^ of 
our late campaign. 

We marched to the Big Cypress, a most formidable 
swamp, extending diagonally across the peninsula from 
northeast to southwest, seventy-five miles, with an average 
width of thirty miles. The troops numbered eight hun- 
dred men, and were commanded by Major William G. 
Belknap, 8th Infantry. The campaign lasted fifty-two 
days, during which period we made seven explorations of 
its depth, or, as they were called, ^^scouts,^^ averaging 
seven days each; in other words, we w^ere marching 
through water from six inches to three feet deep, forty- 
eight days. Three times we passed entirely through or 
across its widest parts. On the seventh scout, no more 
than two hundred men of the eighty hundred could be 
mustered for duty ; fevers, diarrhoeas, and swollen feet 
and ankles — the latter attributed by the surgeons to con- 
stant marching in the water — having laid up in the hos- 
pital three-fourths of the command. My own health 



398 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

beiiio^ unaifected, enabled me to march in command of 
two of the four companies on this last fruitless expedition. 
On all these marches, I carried my seven days' rations 
in a bag rolled in my blanket and strapped across my 
shoulders, together with an extra flannel shirt (the only 
wear on such tramps) and pair of socks, besides my 
double gun — swords being worse than useless. Adieu, 
my dearest E. 



Fort Brooke, March 28, 1842, 

My dear Father : — ... The policy now adopted 
for the conduct of this war is negotiations, whereby we 
have really done more to bring it to a close than by all 
the battles fought. For in the battles, as generally fought 
with these Indians, the most that is accomplished is a few 
killed and the rest dispersed. And when once a tribe 
scatters, the pursuit by troops is worse than useless. 
Some of those lately brought in by the means to which I 
have referred, have told us that at such times even the 
closest ties of relationship are distrusted ; the father Avill 
not confide to the son, nor one brother to another, even 
the direction in which he purposes to flee, lest one, being 
taken, be compelled by force or seduced by money to dis- 
close the retreat of the other. 

The scout in the Wahoo will be postponed in order to 
ascertain the effect of this scheme upon the leading men 
of the more distant families. An Indian of Halleck's 
party, which is supposed to be somewhere near the 
Wahoo Swamp, has been sent to him with offers ; and ^\'e 
are waiting with interest the result of the mission, which, 
if unsuccessful, will be followed by the movement I have' 
spoken of. Meantime we have little to do but to feed 
on the capital fish and oysters which the bay affords in 
countless numbers. The weather is delightful; for though 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 399 

the sun is jiowerfal, the sea-breeze by day, and the land- 
breeze at nighty which are as reguhir as the rising and 
setting of the sun, render the temperature, however formi- 
dable by thermometrical admeasurement, quite tolerable. 

April lo 

P. S. — The Indian sent to Halleck has returned faith- 
ful to his promise ; but he brings only a grand account 
of the defiant manner in which Colonel Worth's message 
Avas received by the chief, who bears the character of a 
most independent and indomitable fellow. He told the 
messenger to go to his people, and intimated that if he 
made any attempt to return to the enemy, he would be 
shot. Our friend, however, acquiescing at the time, found 
an opportunity during the night to make his escape. 

Wahoo Swamp, April i8, 1842. 

(P. S. second.) — Since we marched from Fort Brooke 
there has been but faint prospect of bringing Halleck to 
reason by words, however kindly spoken. Worth seems 
determined, therefore, to see what virtue there may be in 
leaden bullets ; and we are thus far on our way, Worth 
and his principal force being in advance. 

Yesterday morning before breakfast, ^^ Gopher John,'' 
who has grown up from a long-legged, ill-looking negro 
boy to be a fine-looking fellow of six feet, as straight as an 
Indian, with just a smile of red blood mantling to his fore- 
head. He dresses remarkably well, and has altogether a 
jaunty air that would fix your attention at sight. He 
retains his cognomen with the Indians as well as with the 
whites who lived in the Indian country before the war. The 
Gopher is with us as interpreter. Well, as I have said, he 
brought me early yesterday morning a mess of fish — the 
yellow perch — in return for a hook and line which I had 
given him the day before. Seeing that my breakfast was 



400 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

being prepared, he said, "Let me cook them for you, 
Captain ; " and without waiting for a reply, he drew the 
coals from the front of the fire and spread upon the space 
thus cleared some hot ashes, then laid the fish upon the 
ashes just as they came from the water ; and having cov- 
ered them also Avith ashes, he covered them up with a 
coating of live coals. In about five minutes he removed 
the covering of coals, lifted the fish with a knife and fork, 
removed the skin with the scales, &c., &q., all at once in the 
neatest manner you can imagine ; and then placed the fish, 
looking as white as this paper and smoking-hot, upon a 
dish: half a dozen perch that really would have done 
honor to your cuisine at home. 

In the evening, after supper, I was sitting at the fire 
in front of my tent, enjoying a good cigar, which was one 
of a box I had procured at Tampa from the Charlotte- 
Harbor Fishermen who brought a small cargo in one of 
their fishing-smacks direct from Havana, when the Go- 
pher came strolling along, and saluting me with a " Good 
even, Cojjtain/' (he always pronounces the first syllable of 
the word as if written Avith an o,) he seated himself on 
the ground on the opposite side of the fire, and rolled the 
tobacco-smoke in a broad curl above his head. Observing 
that his dog, a great Indian cur, was seated in a very 
quiet and respectful attitude at his side, I opened the con- 
versation with asking the name of his wolfish follower. 

"He name ^Fuse,' sir,'' was the reply. 

" Fuse, Fuse, Fuse ! '' said I, mustering up my remain- 
ing knowledge of the Seminole tongue without success, 
" what is that in English, John ? '' 

" He English himself, sir." 

"How is that, John?" 

" Why, sir, you see, when dis dog was giv' to me, he 
was a little puppy 'bout so big," showing with his hands 
the length (about eight inches) of the juvenile wolfish 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 401 

cur. "At (lat same time I wos courtin' for a wife, and 
all de gal fuse me, (refused me.) Dis so provoking to 
me, I git mad, — and I call de dog ' Fiise.^ '^ 

I am messing Avith Colonel Garland ; we have a good 
cook, and have had some capital chowder of catfish, 
caught hy my friend Gopher John. This fish is differ- 
ent from the catfish of the northern waters ; it is found 
in large ponds, together with a black trout, or a species 
nearly allied to the trout family, and is a fine, firm fish. 
We shall leave here to-morrow to be in at the concentration 
of Worth's forces at a fine spring some twenty miles north 
of the Wahoo, (as the Indians call the tree which is the 
cork-ivlnged Elm.) There, as soon as Halleck's where- 
abouts is known, Worth will be at him with all his vigor. 



Camp at the Warm Spring, 32 miles S. of Fort King, 
April 23, 1842. 

My dear Brother : — We marched from Tampa on 
the 11th inst., (Graham^s company and mine.) At Fort 
Dade, on the Withlocoochee, we separated, he taking the 
left bank, I the right. And at daylight on the morning 
of the 15th we entered the Wahoo from different sides, 
and, in common with other companies on the south and east, 
marched towards a common centre, scouring the hum- 
mocks as we went. In this way two days were passed, 
and we were nearly eaten up by mosquitoes, without find- 
ing any Indians. On the 19th we came here and united 
with two companies of the 2d Regiment and one of the 
8th. On the 20th we moved towards Pelahlikaha, sign 
having been seen in that quarter. The swamp of Pe- 
lahlikaha is a mass of grassy ponds and oak inlands, in- 
tersected here and there by pine ridges, and about five 
miles long by two wide. Oar force, consisting of about 
two hundred men, was divided into seven detachments of 
34* 2 A 



402 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

twenty-eight each, led by an officer and a guide. On the 
22d we entered the swamp at different points, while a 
company of dragoons, with Colonel Worth, moved about 
from point to point in our rear. 

My guide was fortunate in finding fresh sign, and I 
was pushing on, when I was joined on the borders of a 
pond by Colonel Garland and ten mounted men, he having 
passed round the hummock which I came through. 

The Colonel sent to inform Colonel Worth in order 
that he might direct the other two detachments to move 
towards us, our course being indicated. Neither Major 
Graham nor Lieutenant Berry, who commanded two de- 
tachments of the 4th, however, could be found. But 
proceeding on our course, we fell in Avith a detachment 
of the 8th, and afterwards one of the 2d, whose guides 
had also discovered sign, leading as it appeared to a 
common point. The guides soon began to look a little 
uneasy, and declined to follow the trail any further in 
advance, saying that a large party of Indians must be 
near at hand. 

The men were then brought into line : my detachment 
in the centre ; the 2d and 8th on the right and left, ex- 
tending so as to outflank the enemy. In this order (the 
whole being placed under my command) I was directed 
to charge the hummock. All looked as quiet and peace- 
ful among the green boughs and dense undergrowth of 
the hummock as a summer solitude. But we had not 
advanced fifty yards within its shade, when the sharp 
crack of a rifle in front broke the stillness of the wilder- 
ness. I gave the word, '' forward! — double-quick!'^ and 
in an instant we were breaking through the thicket at 
them, while the rat-tat-tat of their rifles was answered 
by a hearty shout from our men. It was Halleck-Tus- 
tenuggee and Octe-Archy with their warriors. The prin- 
cipal part of them were opposite our centre, (the twenty- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 403 

eight men of my company,) and they exchanged two 
snccessive shots with us, they retiring as they fired, and 
we advancing. They, however, made good their retreat, 
carrying off one killed and two wounded of their party. 
Thus a good many shots were exchanged without much 
damage. But it was a running fight in pretty thick cover, 
and we charged them too hotly for deliberate aim on either 
part. Still, from their superiority in passing through the 
brush, they managed to elude completely for a time our 
pursuit of those who carried off the Indians who fell. 
Just as this ^vas over, I was ordered with my twenty- 
eight men to the left, and got on to the pine ridge just in 
time to relieve Lieutenant Arnold of the Dragoons from 
an uncomfortable position. He and nine men had been 
separated from his company in advancing with Colonel 
Worth to this point, and they were attacked in the open 
Avoods by the party we had just driven from the other 
hummock. One dragoon was killed and two wounded. 
I was about two hundred yards from the spot when the 
first rifle cracked. We came up on a run, and as we ap- 
proached, they retired to the hunmiock. I again charged 
with my detachment, but they would not stand another 
shot. I pursued about a mile, and losing all traces of 
them, returned to the battle-ground. The troops had 
now all left the ground, and, as I supposed, the Indians 
I had pursued had doubled and gone to the south ; so I 
pushed off in that direction. IVIy guide had made his 
escape at the first fire, but I soon struck another trail, and 
following it, was completely disunited from all the other 
troops, who were on a trail in a different direction. 
Being baffled in the pursuit, I became irrecoverably sepa- 
rated from ColoneFs Worth^s party — the whole force. 
As I had left my blanket and my three days' hard bread 
with one of Colonel G.'s mounted men, it was of some 
consequence to my personal comfort that I should over- 



404 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

take lilm ; this I accomplished, two hours after he reached 
this point, on the third day. I was out, however, three 
nights following Worth, having made a tour to the 
Oklewaha, crossing it twice; Colonel Worth after In- 
dians, I after him. 

In the mean time, the troops under Colonel Worth had 
taken an old man prisoner, and sent him out after Hal- 
leck. Worth came in here for provisions, having had 
only sufficient for four days at starting. The Colonel 
tells me that he has the strongest hope of getting the 
whole party to come in ; they are about ninety in all. 
In the fight in front of their village we captured every- 
thing they had; and the old prisoner says they are 
destitute of clothing, cooking-utensils, and other articles, 
as well as food. The women, and children escaped just 
before we came upon them ; and the men managed to lead 
the troops in a different direction until they had got out 
of danger. 

We are to remain here until they come in. which is 
promised in a few days, after which we are to return to 
Tampa. If they do not keep their promise, we shall 
have to push them again. 

I write seated on my tent-floor, mother Earth, with a 
piece of bark on my knee for a table. 



Fort Brooke, Tampa, May ii, 1842. 

My dear Father: — Having given you previously 
an account of our country-dance with Halleck's Band of 
Micasukies, I have now to inform you that we reached 
this post on the 9th instant, with forty-seven of them our 
prisoners. 

I told you we had commenced negotiations at the date 
of my last letter. Well, Hal leek and his people came in 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 405 

to us, and drank and smoked, and ate witli us, with every 
show of good faith. Halleck is a man of thirty-five 
years, with a face as smooth and features as delicate as a 
female, and with a smile that has all the sweetness of a 
woman^s. But he is, nevertheless, a great rogue, and as 
notorious for his duplicity as his daring. With all his 
apparent mildness and a gentleness of manner (for he 
has all the dignity and repose of refined breeding) he is 
as self-willed and unmanageable as an unbroken mule. 
And he it is who for years past has terrified the settle- 
ments with deeds of blood and fire. 

Meantime our negotiation went on smoothly; he brought 
his people within five miles of us, and encamped on the 
edge of a deep cypress swamp, and pretending that the 
water was better there than anywhere else, paid no atten- 
tion to a hint to be more neighborly ; but requested that 
none of our men should be permitted to cross a certain 
line. 

It was soon apparent to those who knew him well — the 
Indian and negro guides — that he intended playing the 
old game once more. AVhat audacity! That is, finding 
his clan stripped of everything but their rifles, he pur- 
posed cxijoling his enemies, until he could find means by 
buying, begging, and stealing, to re-establish himself, 
when he and his people w^ould assuredly have taken 
French leave. But so wary and courteous was he, that 
the least show of distrust on our part would have ruined 
all ; for, once more to the swamps, and good-bye to him 
for the season. 

To have made a dash at his camp would have been 
like catching at the wind, his videttes watched us so 
closely. I accompanied him to his camp, one evening, 
w^ith the ColonePs aide-de-camp, to take a peep into the 
matter. Our approach was known in the camp almost as 
soon as we started. We were received, however, very 



406 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

politely, and I noted his position well, and in the sequel 
profited by my knowledge. 

The next day the chief expressed to Colonel Worth a 
desire to go to Fort King (thirty-two miles north), with 
permission to purchase from the sutler such necessaries 
as his people stood in immediate need of. This was a 
bold move, and it only remained now to see who could 
play the deepest game. Colonel Worth consented that 
the chief should accompany him, and on the 4th instant 
they set out together, Halleck taking one of his wives, her 
sister, and a child. 

Colonel Garland was directed (being left in command) 
to take advantage of some moment, when a goodly num- 
ber should be in our camp, to seize and secure them. Two 
days passed before the occasion presented itself* when, 
finding that they mustered twenty-fonr present, they were 
seized. Immediately after this I was ordered, in pur- 
suance of Colonel Worth's plan, to make a dasii at the 
camp with my company and twenty-five mounted men, 
capture what I could, and pursue the rest as long as there 
was a chance of success. I had with me Gopher John, 
and Isaac, as interpreters and guides, the latter as great a 
rascal as ever went unhung — a smart negro. Fortunately 
for me, their vigilance had relaxed since the departure of 
the chief I pushed on briskly, and when three quarters 
of a mile from the camp, divided my force into three de- 
tachments, sending a party into the swamp, one through 
the pine woods to their rear, and advancing with the 
third on their front. As my detachment showed itself 
in front, they broke in three directions. But we cut 
them oflP everywhere and closed upon them, capturing 
twenty-one out of twenty-six. This, considering the 
cliaracter of the country, was a good haul ; indeed, in- 
finitely better than any one expected. The captives being 
informed of what had passed in camp, said it was now 



I 



BY GEORGE A. 3fcC'ALL. 407 

all over, and if the few stragglers who were absent were 
not pursued and run out of that country, they would 
come in and join their friends. This was a truth so 
palpable that I returned to camp with the prisoners and 
plunder I had taken, including seven good rifles. The 
next morning, as had been predicted, an old lady and a 
young man came in to their families, and the youth was 

sent after the remainder. Colonel G then set out 

for Tampa with Major Graham's company and mine in 
charge of the prisoners. We marched the seventy-eight 
miles in two and a half days, put the Indians on board 
a steamboat, and sent them to Cedar Keys, where they 
were met by Colonel Worth and the chief, A^ho went 
round by Fort Waka-sasa, and there picked up the 
second chief and four warriors of Halleck's whom he 
had sent on a mission to the Creeks, among whom Octe- 
Archy was supposed to have gone, and who, having been 
furnished with horses at our camp, had left them at 
Fort Waka-sasa, while they went after the Creeks. 
They had returned from the swamps but fifteen minutes 
before the Colonel arrived, when they were immediately 
made prisoners, and confined in the guard-house together 
with Halleck and his women. What word they bring 
from the Creeks we have not learned. 

The end must justify the means. They have made 
fools of us too often. And there is great hope now that 
Halleck will bring in Octe-Archy and Sam Jones. 



Sea-Horse Key, May 23, 1842. 

My dear M : At Fort Brooke, on the 15th, I 

received an order from Colonel Worth, who is established 
on oncof tlie adjoining Keys (Cedar Key), to repair hither 
with my company for temporary and special service. The 



408 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

steamer that brought the order was in a few hours ready 
for sea again, so that I had but little time to pack up and 
embark my men. On my arrival on the 16th I reported 
at headquarters, when the Colonel informed me he had 
planned another expedition, and had set me down for the 
command of a column of two companies to move from 
this point to the Suwanee country to co-operate there with 
two or three columns moving from the northeast. The 
object was the capture of Octe-Archy's band, and that of 
Halpata, who were reported to be united there, and to count 
some thirty warriors. On the morning of the 18th I re- 
ceived orders to embark my own company and Gates' of the 
8th Regiment for Fort Fanning, on the Suwanee, and then 
take the field. In a few moments the companies were under 
arms on the wharf, and the steamboat preparing to re- 
ceive them, when an express boat arrived, bringing to 
Colonel Worth authority from Washington to close the 
war on the plan proposed by him in February last, and 
then rejected by the War Department. 

The projet is to proclaim a cessation of hostilities, and 
then, through the medium of such chiefs as are here, to 
endeavor to bring in those who still remain secreted in the 
hummocks. This advice knocked my command in the 
head, and I consequently came to the right-about and 
ordered dinner. 

Halleck was at once called into council, and there 
pledged himself to bring in the few of his people still 
absent, together with Octe-Archy, at once. He immediately 
sent out runners to both parties, and yesterday the men 
returned, bringing the assurance that they would listen to 
reason. In a week we expect to see them, bag and bag- 
gage. Some of Hal leek's people have come in, among 
them a warrior who was badly wounded in the late fight. 
Halleck acknowledges in this affair two killed and five 
wounded. We have sent out this morning a horse for one 
of the wounded who is not yet able to walk 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 409 

I am at present in command of this post; there are 
three companies of our regiment and one of the 8th with 
me. Colonel Worth and staif are now at Depot Key 
three miles distant. I have here the society of Halleck 
and all his good people, which is, or rather would be, 
vastly agreeable in a general way, if it was not sometimes 
a great bore. Halleck, however, is quite a gentleman, 
and frequently honors my board. I am required to keep 
a strict surveillance over his movements, but he is too 
much of the courtier to see that, and studies to make him- 
self agreeable. 



Fort Waka-sasa, August i6, 1842. 

My dear Brother: — .... I have been moving 
about from post to post for a long time. In the first 
place I was ordered from Sea-horse Key to the main land, 
at a point at which Octe-Archy promised to meet Colonel 
Worth in council ; the latter intending to seize the gentle- 
man and his suite in the event of neo;otiations takino; an 
adverse turn. But the wary chief took council of his 
fears, and ordering his people to disperse for one moon, 
he left the Colonel to digest his disappointment together 
with the feast prepared for the occasion. Thus were 
several weeks of expectation frittered av^^ay, and again for 
the hundredth time the old game must be commenced 
de novo. 

I don't think I mentioned to you that this is one of a 
chain of posts leading from the Suwanee to the St. John's. 
I was ordered here with my company after the game with 
Octe-Archy was played out. I have with me a subaltern 
and a surgeon; the latter is a bon vivant — full of talent- 
and full of life, and as I have not a sick man in my com- 
pany, all our efforts are naturally directed towards "the 
enemy ; '' yet I must acknowledge that we now and then 
find it a little difficult to kill him quite. 
35 



410 LETTERS FROM TEE FRONTIERS, 

I frequently hunt in the early morning before the sun 
attains much altitude, and usually bring in a deer or a 
turkey. The evening is pleasantly passed in chat with 
the son of iEsculapius. I was fortunate in finding a good 
garden here, thanks to the providence of some two or 
three companies of the regiment which I relieved. This 
furnishes abundance of vegetables ; and w^e have deer for 
the killing. The deer in Florida (particularly in the 
southern portion) are not confined to any particular period 
of the year for coming in season. I have, for instance, 
found young fawns in December and January, and I have 
found bucks which had their new horns rubbed smooth 
in June. I recollect during the campaign in the Big 
Cypress, w^hile marching through the water, seeing a little 
way to the right of our column — and I was not at the head 
of the column at the time — a fawn not more than a day 
or two old, lying asleep upon the mound of earth 
formed around the root of a cypress-tree. By cautiously 
approaching, I took up the pretty creature in my hands be- 
fore he awoke. He bleated lustily for his dam, and wdien 
I replaced the little fellow upon his lonely island in his 
mossy bed, he displayed w^onderful energy in his struggles 
to escape ; but I held him down and soothed him with my 
hand until he became quiet and actually fell asleep again, 
when I left him to await the return of his dam, who was 
then on a visit, probably, to its twin brother or sister ; for 
the doe generally produces two fawns at a birth, and leaves 
them at separate hiding-places until they are better able 
to escape from the enemy. And what a wonderfully wise 
and beneficent provision of providence is it tliat in the 
cleft in the foot of the deer, where is situated the organ 
which secretes the musky oil that enables the w^olf by his 
sense of smell to follow his prey, this oil does not begin to 
flow until the fawn has lost its "spots,'' and then its fleet- 
ness enables it to escape its pursuer. The column halted 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 4U 

about one hundred yards in front of wliere I had found 
the fawn, upon a small pine island, the abode \\o doubt 
of the motlier. Here we made our mornino; meal and 
then resumed our weary march, splash, splash, through 
water half-leg deep, with nothing within view but the 
gloomy cypress until toward sunset, when a low pine 
island gladdened our hearts with a prospect of fire and 
rest. Adieu. 



Fort Waka-sasa, August 26, 1842. 

My dear Father: — Jubilate, the war is closed/ At 
least it so is by proclamation. I learn that Octe-Archy, 
Tiger-tail, Bow-legs, &c., &c., have come in, and have 
agreed to the Government proposition to remove south 
and remain at peace. Many of their people, it is said, 
are already getting ready to go to the w^est of the Missis- 
sippi, and the rest, it is thought, may be induced to do so 
in the course of the winter. We are told that one of the 
regiments now here will be relieved; two being con- 
sidered sufficient to keep the Indians in subjection until 
the close of the scene ; that is, the removal of those in 
the extreme south, who have as yet shown no disposition 
to leave this paradise of Indians for the unknown coun- 
try of the Far West. The two regiments to remain are 
the 8th, Colonel Worth's, and the 3d, Colonel Many's ; 
the latter is superannuated and absent. We are told that 
our regiment, the 4th, will go to Jefferson Barracks, Mis- 
souri, — ten miles below St. Louis; indeed, we are daily 
looking for the order to proceed thither. Among the 
chiefs who are named as consenting to the removal, I 
have heard no mention of 8am Jones, whom I have 
known for many years as a proud, independent, self- 
willed man, who once having made up his mind, is not 
likely soon to be diverted from his purpose. When the 



412 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

4th Regiment first came to Tampa, this Indian was poor 
and apparently supported his family by fishing; the fruits 
of his labor being disposed of at the Fort. There was 
at that time a very fine fish, twelve to fifteen inches in 
length, of a blackish or dark-gray on the upper parts, 
and whitish below, found at the falls of the Hillsborough 
in abundance. It was a remarkably fine fish, its flesh being 
very white and perfectly firm ; and it was denominated by 
the regiment the " Black TroutJ^ This Indian, who was 
nameless as far as our information on that point had ex- 
tended, daily brought his string of trout to the Fort at 
sunrise, and was as well known by all the garrison as the 
town-pump, received from the Regimental Sutler the cog- 
nomen of Sam Jones, as the embodiment of the myth 
celebrated at that time in New York in a low ballad, a 
burlesque of " Dunois, the young and brave/^ namely, — 

" It was Sam Jones, the fisherman, 
Was bound to Sandy-Hook ; 
But first upon his Almanac 

A solemn oath he took, &c., &c." 

Now, our Sam Jones is, as I understand, living down near 
the Everglades, as yet undisturbed, and not likely to be 
induced by argument to relinquish a country where he 
can pursue his old " penchanf at pleasure, for the arid 
plains of the West, of which the proffered lands are 
known to consist. But how^ever that may be, I shall 
not throw cold water upon the sanguine expectations of 
the "proper authorities" at the seat of the National Gov- 
ernment. Yesterday, Colonel Worth passed through here 
on his way out of Florida. He and his stafP dined with 
me (the commanding officer). I fed them on venison and 
champagne : the first of my OAvn killing ; the latter from 
the sutler who, on inquiry, I found had one unbroken 
basket, the only one on his invoice by a late wagon. This 
I ordered to be sent to my quaiters, and we had a very 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 413 

agreeable dinner. The Colonel gave me a glowing ac- 
count of his journey from the Warm Springs to Fort 
King with Halleck. He said, when they arrived at Fort 
King, and were seated in Colonel Crane's quarters, he 
communicated to the chief the fact that he was a prisoner. 
Halleck stormed like a madman at the treachery and the 
insult thus oifered him. But between you and me, Hal- 
leck is a capital actor, as you wall learn before I have 
finished this letter; and you will probably recollect that 
I paid him by order of Colonel AVorth $1000 dollars in 
silver at Cedar Keys, which might have been understood 
as a solace for the pain it caused him at being thus sepa- 
rated from his people. However, be that as it may, — the 
Colonel continued : — 

''On arriving at this post, I learned that the second 
chief, an honest, single-minded man, whom I had sent 
to look after Octe-Archy, who I was carelessly informed, 
as in a thoughtless moment, by Halleck, might be found 
in this region, had just returned from his mission, having 
left his horses here. I at once ordered them to be made 
prisoners and confined in the guard-house. I also told 
Halleck he must now submit to the same restraint, and I 
sent him with one of the guard to join his warriors. 
While dinner was being prepared, I sat there, on your 
j)iazza which looks upon your parade-ground and the 
front of your guard-house, close by on the right, with 
the commanding officer of the post, and saw Halleck 
when he met his men. The meeting was ceremonious, 
the chief holding himself on his dignity. They had not, 
however, been long in conversation before high words 
were used, — in fact, as I afterwards learned, the sub- 
chief had plainly, and in decided language, accused Hal- 
leck of selling his people. At this the latter's frame 
dilated, every muscle quivered, and he sprang like a tiger 
upon the offender, bore him to the ground like a kid, and 



414 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

seizing liis right ear in his teeth, tore it completely off. 
Then springing up, he gave his war-whoop, crying aloud, 
"Halleck-tustenuggee ! I'll make you understand that 
I am your chief, whether prisoner or not/' The Colonel 
concluded with the declaration that it was the most strik- 
ing incident of the kind he had ever witnessed. 

After dinner, AYorth prevailed upon me to ride with 
him to the next post, Waka-hoote, eighteen miles. So I 
put a bottle of champagne and my little silver cup into 
my saddle-bags, and we mounted. At a fine spring about 
half-way we halted and sprang the cork. Refreshed by 
this pause, we pushed on and arrived at our destination 
just at sunset. In the morning, after breakfast, I re- 
turned solus, arriving at dinner-time. Having made a 
good meal on some hot roast venison, which I washed 
down with a glass of champagne, I sat down to give you 
the good news that there is a prospect of our getting out 
of the swamps in the course of a month or so ; and the 
foreo-oino^ is wdiat I have scratched off. Adieu. 



Jefferson Barracks, Oct. i8, 1842. 

My dear Brother: — On the 14th September, I 
marched from Waka-sasa to Fort Fanning on the Suwanee 
Kiver, where I was to take steamboat transportation to 
Cedar Keys, and expected to embark immediately for 
New Orleans. But on reaching Fort Fanning, I received 
information from Colonel Vose (commanding in Florida) 
that some apprehension was entertained that Octe-Archy'a 
band, some seventy warriors strong, who were collected 
in that vicinity under a pledge to move south to the 
country allotted to them, miglit prove treacherous and 
disperse. He therefore detained my company after the 
others had sailed, and ordered me to be ready to move at 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 415 

a moment's warning, should a movement become neces- 
sary. 

In this Avay I was kept at the most unhealthy point 
in the territory for near three weeks, at the end of which 
time (although I arrived without a man sick) I had 
twenty-eight of my men down with fever. Fortunately 
I lost only one by it. 

At length I embarked with nearly half my company 
sick, and without a surgeon, as none could be spared from 
the different stations. I procured a supply of medicines — 
all I asked for was a good supply of calomel and quinine — 
and set sail. We ran over to New Orleans in three days, 
but the seeds of disease implanted by the Suwanee malaria 
were daily developed, and new cases were constantly 
occurring. I made free use of calomel and quinine, and 
with great success. My practice was twenty or thirty 
grains of the former, followed the next day with thirty to 
fifty grains of the latter, between sunrise and sunset ; this 
may appear extravagant to Northern physicians, but the 
attacks were sudden and violent, and smaller doses would 
have been trifling with the disease. 

The yellow fever was abroad in the Crescent City, and 
I hurried past with as little delay as possible. As we 
ascended the Mississippi, new cases were of daily occur- 
rence, and I lost another man who had become convalescent, 
but had relapsed, and being of shattered constitution, 
could not stand the shock. At last, on the tenth day 
after leaving Fort Fanning, the last cases occurred. These 
were myself and an old German. The latter died after 
our arrival here ; the only man I lost of sixty-three cases 
of the most violent Suwanee fever. I am now quite well 
again, with my mouth and nose covered with fever blotches. 

I. have got comfortably fixed in good quarters. Sport 
and Blue, who have come safely out of Florida, are at my 
feet while I write this. Love to all. Adieu. 



41G LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

[From the autumn of 1842 till late in the follo\Ying year, 
the writer remained on duty with his company at Jefferson 
Barracks, near St. Louis, Mo. During that period, the time 
passed pleasantly enough, though without the occurrence of 
an}'thing of particular interest, as he infers from the exami- 
nation of letters written by him to his friends at home during 
that time. 

In December, 1843, he was ordered with his company to 
Fort Scott, Osage Indian Nation, where the company formed 
a part of the garrison of that post, until ordered to join 
General Taylor's command at Corpus Christi, in the spring 
of 1845. Some idea of a fine hunting country will be formed 
from the following letters.] 



[The letter from which tlie following is an extract, appeared at the 
time it was written, in Porter's ''Spirit of the Times.'"'] 

Fort Scott, Indian Territory, March 3, 1844. 

My dear Brother : — In conformity w^ith my promise 
I will now give you some account of my favorite dog 
Blue. He is of high-bred, imported stock, being out of 
Colonel Mason's celebrated setter Nell, by an imported 
pointer. Thus a direct cross of the pointer on the setter, 
both of imported stock, he has the short hair of the former 
with the figure, action, and temper of the latter. His 
head is large ; you would perhaps think out of propor- 
tion ; but it is well chiselled, and looks as hard as marble. 
At a certain time, not long since, a military gentleman 
well known to the country, being on a visit to the station 
wdiere I then w^as, called on me. While he sat with me, 
Blue came into the room, and advanced, as it were, to 
greet the stranger in a friendly way ; the latter as he 
kindly patted the dog, said to me, "That dog has a head 
like Daniel Webster ! '' His head, so much admired, is 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 417 

black and glossy as the raven's wing, with a narrow medial 
line of grayish-white. Entire body, excepting the head 
and a large black blotch on the rump, hluCj or of such a 
fine mixture of black and white hairs as to produce that 
color. Figure to yourself a dog of more than common 
size and power, with a broad, deep chest that indicates his 
matchless bottom ; limbs that give him speed little inferior 
to that of the greyhound, and you have Blue before you. 
As a partridge dog, or on grouse, woodcock, or tur- 
keys, he was, with a wonderful nose, I may truly say, 
perfect. But it was as a deer-dog he was destined to shine 
without a rival. Here, in the wild lands around, we 
have cover for abundance of game of endless variety. 

The Marmiton River, on which the Fort is situated, 
after a course of some ninety miles, uniting with the 
Marais-de-Cygne, forms the Osage River of Missouri. 
The Marmiton in its passage through the vast level or 
rolling prairies, humble enough in itself, receives the 
slender tribute of numberless little prairie streams and 
spring branches. All these, it must be confessed, are 
silent and unpretending currents ; nevertheless, they, as 
well as the ravines that serve to drain the plains, are, to 
a greater or less degree, margined with heavy timber or 
dense brushwood that moisture and a, continued growth 
of vegetation have saved from the wrathful fires that 
sweej) the parched plains in autumn. Into these snug 
little coves, the deer, after feeding hurriedly on the open 
plains, retires to pass the hours devoted to ruminating. 
Here the coy partridge or quail rears its brood in security. 
Near by, the Pinnated Grouse forms its nest and raises its 
pack, away from its solitary mate. Of each in its season, 
we have the deer, turkey, grouse, partridge, woodcock, 
snipe, plover, of half a dozen or more species ; and on the 
lakes near the river, swans, geese, of two or three species ; 
and ducks without number ; pelicans, sand-hill cranes, &c. 

2B 



418 LETTERS FEOM THE FRONTIERS, 

Altogether, including its fine climate, it is a glorious 
country for the sportsman. Deer I always hunt on horse- 
back, and shoot them as they bounce from the tall grass 
or hazel-bushes that line the streams. The advantao^e of 
shooting on horseback is, that, being elevated, you see dis- 
tinctly the deer, which you could not do at all on foot. 
To illustrate this, I give you some extracts from my 
hunting-diary of last fall and winter 

Saturday, October 9, . 

To-day I was abroad at an early hour ; for, being exempt 
from duty, I proposed paying a visit to the hunting-grounds 
down the river. Accordingly I rose before Reveille, and 
speedily donning my buckskin huntnig-suit, (made of 
some of Blue's trophies,) I breakfasted and was off before 
the sun was up. To-day I rode Champion, a sorrel colt 
of great speed and bottom, much to the chagrin of 
Master Jordan, my negro boy, who, being sometimes 
indulged with a turn on Champion while I rode Chero- 
kee, saw in prospective for himself a brisk trot of some 
miles on the roughest of all trotters, Cherokee, — for 
easy gaits are not to be counted among his good quali- 
ties. . . . This has been one of those beautifully bright 
days we often enjoy here at this season. — What a glorious 
dawn ! The heavy dew of the preceding night has been 
congealed ; and the prairie is white wdth frost. The sun, 
at rising, casts his broad beams over the vast plain, and 
the whole surface is in an instant brilliant with S23arkling 
crystals ; the abrupt prairie knolls, whose soft parts the 
frosts and storms of past ages have loosened and swept 
away, seem in the distance to elevate their rocky summits, 
now crowned with glittering diadems. Let any one to 
whom nature has not altogether denied the faculty which 
enables man to appreciate her glorious works, ride out 
upon the boundless plains at this hour, and, from an eleva- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 419 

tion he may select, cast his eyes round upon the wide- 
spread landscape. On all sides, to the farthest extent of 
his powers of vision, the varied prospect is open to his 
view. Hereaway for miles he traces the winding courses 
of streams, whose banks are clothed with dense and heavy 
timber. Yonder he regards with admiration, growing as 
he gazes, the countless undulations of the land, each as it 
succeeds the other diminishing in the distance, until the 
last faint wave is blended with the blue horizon. Then 
he looks up into the ambient space above — into the bright, 
bright sky, — his mind is impressed by the magnificence 
of the scene, and inhales, as it were, a portion of the 
health and freshness that pervade all external nature at 
this her chosen hour. And then! if he have not more 
than ordinary obtuseness, the contemplation of these 
admirable works of creation will give a purer impulse to 
his spirit, and prompt to feelings of gratitude and praise 
towards the wise, the good, and all-powerful Designer. 

Some such reflections as these were called up in my 
mind this morning, as I paused for a few moments on 
one of the prairie knolls to the north of the lakes, and 
which commands a noble view of the meanderings of the 
two Drywoods (branches of the Marmiton) and all the 
country far beyond. We had crosssd Carlos' Branch, five 
miles below the garrison, without having seen any game 
whatever, except a straggling grouse or two, that would 
rise from the burned prairie ridge at the distance of a hun- 
dred yards or more, and with rapid wing direct his flight 
across the bottom. About half a mile beyond, however, 
w^hile crossing through the tall unburned grass of a gully 
or drain, my eye caught the forms of two deer feeding 
along the gentle slope of the next ridge, at the distance 
of nearly half a mile. Stopping my horse, I very soon 
was vsatisfled they had not yet seen us, and accordingly 
dismounted to observe their movements, the grass con- 



420 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

cealing ourselves and horses entirely. They continued 
feeding — slowly approaching the crest of the slope — for 
nearly ten minutes, when a fitful gust of wind, common 
in prairie countries, came rolling on from the southwest, 
swept over us, and passed on directly towards them. A 
few short moments elapsed before the tainted breeze 
reached the deer ; but the instant it did so, their taper 
necks were thrown up with a jerk, and their bodies bal- 
anced for a brief period as their eyes overran the dale, 
then whirling about, they made a few bounds, then stopped 
to look again. This time the scrutiny was more pro- 
tracted, and resulted in the conviction of one of them, 
apparently, that the alarm was unfounded; for he quietly 
resumed his occupation of nibbling at the succulent roots 
of a species of coarse grass which they are fond of. Not 
so, however, the other : he tossed his head about with 
evident distrust and anger, and finally making a few ob- 
lique leaps, turned and galloped away, followed by his 
companion. At this moment two deer, that had been 
lying down at a little distance, (and although on burned 
ground, not visible, for the reason they were not in motion,) 
sprang up, taking the alarm from the retreat of the first, 
and likewise dashed away, though not in company with, 
nor in the same direction as the others. As we had kept 
perfectly still, I am quite sure they did not discover us 
with the organs of vision ; and I mention this in evidence 
of the acute sense of smelling in the deer. I have said 
that I did not observe the deer because not in motion ; I 
will now remark that, on a sunny day, the reflection of 
light from any object in motion, on the burned and black- 
ened prairie, Is visible at astonishing distances, although 
the eye would not detect It unless in motion ; and the 
practised hunter or Indian will recognize a particular 
foi-m in what to one unskilled would appear a shapeless 
mass. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 421 

On reaching the ground which the deer had left, I 
took the trail of those first observed, they having di- 
rected their course towards a spring-branch, with whose 
grounds I was well acquainted, about a mile beyond. 
Having told Blue to hie on, I followed at a hand-gallop, 
having no idea that they would stop within the inter- 
mediate space which was burned very clear. But I had 
not proceeded more than half way, when from a patch of 
tall grass not fifty feet in diameter, which by some chance 
had escaped the fire, and at the distance of thirty yards 
in front, the two deer burst forth ; there never was a more 
beautiful offer for a double shot. A stiff pull upon the 
curb soon brought my colt upon his haunches ; I dropped 
the reins, but the instant I raised my gun, the villain 
Champion made a lunge forward right at the deer; a 
sudden jerk of the rein brought him u^i all standing a 
second time; but again, before the gun was brought to 
my cheek, away he dashed after the deer, and this time, 
too, he gathered himself so vigorously, that before I could 
bring him to a stand, the deer were out of reacli, and I 
lost the shot. If any execrations escaped my lips at the 
instant, they were, I believe, neither very elegant, nor at 
all edifying; pass we, therefore, by that; but I burst 
into a laugh, which restored my good-humor, at a sudden 
exclamation of Jordan's. He had come alongside, and 
with eyes wide open, and every muscle distended, was 
sitting bolt upright on the passive Cherokee, and now 
exclaimed, — 

" Yes, sir, if you 'd a rode Cherokee to-day, you 'd a 
killed those deer ! '' 

^^ Hang Cherokee," retorted I ; ^' if I kill a deer to- 
day, I kill him on Champion, — besides, Champion is not 
so much to blame after all." 

The fact was, I had but a few days before run him 
several miles over nearly the same ground, after a wounded 

3G 



422 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

deer, before I had secured it, and Champion thought he 
must run again. 

Without further pause we continued our course, whither 
the deer had preceded us, in double-quick time. We 
reached the creek, and Blue led us down the broad bed 
of grass for a short distance, when the deer again made 
their appearance, two hundred yards ahead, and re- 
ascended the ridge by a retrograde movement. But the 
gait at which they went, i. e. making lofty bounds from 
side to side, alighting on three feet, and allowing the 
erect tail to flap loosely from right to left, indicated very 
certainly that they would not go far before they would 
again lie down. As soon as they disappeared behind the 
ridge, I ascended it; they were nowhere visible, and I 
was now satisfied that they were lying in the gully below, 
which I accordingly approached with all caution. Blue 
moving in front. As we arrived within eighty yards of 
this gully, the deer (tliey were both bucks) sprang out 
upon the slope of the farther ridge, running close to- 
gether, and so perfectly side by side, that the near one 
completely covered the off one. It was too far for my 
gun to do certain execution, but I fired both barrels in 
quick succession, and beheld the buckshot cut up the dust 
for the space of twenty feet all around them ; the deer 
next us, however, staggered, and I saw plainly that he 
was hit. 

" Go it, Blue," I cried, and we gave tliem a brush for 
a couple of hundred yards; but seeing that the wounded 
deer was not mortally injured, I drew up, called in my 
dog, and stopped on the summit to reload my gun. While 
thus engaged, I saw one of them pass out alone from a grassy 
ravine about four hundred yards ahead. ''Aha," I cried, 
'' only one of them ; then my buck is safe ; he is lying in 
that ravine, Blue, and another shot will do the business." 
So saying we moved on, Blue again taking the trail with 



BY GEOnOE A. MrCALL. 423 

tlie steadiness and precision of a veteran fox-hound. On 
reaching the gnlly, I entered the strip of grass some sixty 
yards wide, following close on the heels of my dog, who 
passed entirely through it, and was moving off over the 
burned ground. " How is this. Blue ? you have passed 
the wounded deer and taken the trail of the other." I 
gave a low whistle, and Blue was returning in obedience 
to the call, when Jordan cried out, " There he goes, sir ! " 
In fact, the deer, on coming to the narrow channel of the 
drain, instead of crossing it with the other, had turned 
up the channel for a short distance, and then sloped into 
the grass again and there laid down. This channel being 
divested of herbage, and covered with loose dry stones 
retaining no scent, the dog had, without pausing, crossed 
it, and followed the direct trail. By this ruse the deer 
had expected to escape. When the boy called out, how- 
ever, I whirled my horse around ; the deer was already out 
upon the slope in our rear — at long shot — and running 
directly from me, thus presenting but a narrow mark for 
a scattering shot. I let go both barrels, however, as fast 
as I could pull trigger. The deer rushed forward a few 
strides, tlien suddenly slackened his pace. Before Blue 
got through the tall, thick grass, the deer was a hundred 
and fifty yards ahead, on open ground. But animated by 
my voice, the dog gave tongue for a few jumps, and then 
spread himself silently and in earnest. At first we gained 
rapidly on the deer, and I could see the blood drawn by 
the last shot flowing upon and staining the pure white of 
his nether teguments. But as the horse's hoofs began to 
clatter behind him, the buck redoubled his efforts; and 
for half a mile. Blue, although he gained on him steadily, 
gained on him only inch by inch. While cheering Blue 
on with my voice, I was infinitely amused by the conduct 
of my colt, who, while the race continued, as the ground 
became more favorable and enabled us to close upon the 



424 LETTERS. FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

buck, would neigh at him most vehemently, as if he were 
saying in his own language, "Hallo! little horse! we'll 
be with you directly." Champion evidently wanted to 
make acquaintance with the chase, and straining every 
nerve, without further intimation from myself through 
the medium of the " houlders," as Paddy called the spurs, 
that our sentiments on that point were entirely congenial, 
he continued to gain at every bound, and was almost upon 
his haunches, leaving Blue, fleet as he was, behind, till an 
abrupt rocky descent to a gully, too wide for a single leap 
of horse and rider, compelled me to draw rein for a mo- 
ment, while Champion, closely following the track of the 
buck, scrambled over as well as he might. The deer was 
steering his course for Carlos' Branch, about a mile dis- 
tant from our starting-point, now in sight with its heavy 
cover of undergrowth, a half mile ahead. Blue was now 
with me again. " Go it. Blue ! go it, my boy !" I cried, 
and Blue did strain to it with furious energy as the chase 
waxed warmer. The deer, too, was beginning to show 
signs of distress, so that Blue's bottom was beginning to 
tell. Thus at times, in running fifty yards, the space 
between them would be reduced to a few lengths; then 
the powerful buck Avould give one of those prodigious 
bounds, such as not many animals can make, and nearly 
recover his position ; but his strength would be exhausted 
by the desperate effort, and again he would falter. Re- 
peatedly Blue made these brushes at him, and still the 
gallant buck had enough of energy left for another dash ; 
arain he gathered with all his streno;th and eluded his 
pursuers. At last Blue closed upon him to within three 
feet, but now both were going at the very top of their speed, 
(under which circumstances it is impossible for a dog to 
'^ catch,") and the thicket of Carlos' Branch not one hun- 
dred yards distant. Botli the deer and the dog seemed to 
feel that all depended on one short struggle, for the whole 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 425 

frames of both appeared to quiver with the violence of the 
effort. In half a moment more it was all over. The 
buck had passed the burned ground, and the tall weeds and 
grass closed behind him like a wall. Blue entered almost 
with him, it is true ; but now the buck's weight gave him 
incalculable advantage in breaking down the obstructions 
in their way, and this was at once apparent ; for in going 
twenty yards, he was not only out of reach, but out of 
sight of the dog. In another instant the deer was like- 
wise lost to mv siofht in the vine-tano-led thicket. "Adieu, 
au revovr, old fellow," I called out as I reined up in front 
of a chevaux-de-frise of scrub-oaks, interlaced with grape- 
vines and green briers. I drew my hunting-knife, and 
slashing at the green briers, made out to reach the banks 
of the stream, where Blue took a glorious plunge into the 
" drink," and I alighted to reload my gun and let Cham- 
pion breathe until Jordan should come up. " He has won 
this heat, Blue," said I; "but you'll have him the next 
heat, old boy, and he's not going far before he lies down, 
unless I am mistaken. 

When my servant arrived, we went down-stream a 
little way, and then crossed. After crossing, we had only 
to find the trail again, in order to continue the pursuit. 
Blue very soon found it, — for the deer, immediately after 
crossing, had turned down towards the Marmiton. Blue 
led us outside of the scrub, along the edge of the prairie, 
for half a mile, and then entered the Marmiton timber, 
steering directly for the river. I had entertained no 
suspicion that the deer would go so far before he lay 
down ; and I now began to apprehend that he miglit not 
he so badly hurt after all, and that on reaching the river 
we should find he had crossed. I, however, proceeded 
cautiously through the woodland, and having directed 
Jordan to fall back a little, I prepared to give him a 
broadside in case he sliould show his flag. We had not 
3G* 



426 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

gone far, when I saAV Blue trail right through a covey of 
partridges (that were running), and as they one after 
another whirred over his head, he paid no more attention 
to them than he would have done to so many butterflies. 

In this way I advanced to within a few yards of the 
river-bank ; here Blue turned short off to the left, and 
immediately the deer sprang out from a dead tree-top, 
at long shot again, and ran directly back from the river. 
As he passed between two clumps of bushes, I gave him 
one barrel ; he fell nearly to the ground, but recovering 
again, he went on — concealed by the brush, and I did 
not fire the second barrel. The next moment I heard 
Jordan, who had remained a short distance in rear of me, 
screaming out at the top of his voice, — 

^'Blue^l have him ! Blue '11 have him !" 

At this sound, rushing through the brush, with the loss 
of some little skin from one side of my face, which a 
beautiful festoon of a green brier appropriated, I saw 
Jordan reeling in his saddle, in all the ecstasy of a negro 
ha!-ha!-laugh, and a few paces in front of him was the 
deer, standing on three legs, and straining forward, with 
neck extended, while his left hind leg was straightened 
out behind him as stiflp as a pump-handle, in the jaws 
of the victorious Blue. The dog could not throw the 
deer, nor could the deer draw the dog a peg. Their 
limbs were firmly braced in opposite directions; — neither 
moved, but there they stood, absolutely like a group in 
marble. Jordan recovered his equilibrium sufficiently 
to catch the reins of the horse as I dismounted. There 
was a brief scuffle — one home-thrust of the hunting- 
knife — a broad gush of blood, and the struggle ended. 

Returning, I hunted the skirts of the woodland all 
the way to the ford ; but I saw no more game, save several 
coveys of partridges which I did not tarry to shoot. On 
reaching my quarters, I found a turkey just ready to be 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 427 

dished; and by the time dinner was on table, I had made 
my ablutions, dressed, and was ready to sit down to it, 
with a hunter's appetite, which is next in degree, and 
only inferior to that of a soldier's after a hard day's 
march. Good-night. 



Fort Scott, Osage Nation, Nov. 12, 1844. 

My dear Brother: — I achieved an exploit one day- 
last week which I think is worthy of record. I killed a 
three-year-old buck, assisted by Blue, with my knife; of 
course I mean without first shooting him. It was a cold, 
raw day; the wind was blowing hard from the north- 
w^est. I had ridden down the Marmiton about tw^o miles 
when, in crossing a little brook. Blue turned and gave 
me his customary and peculiarly wise look, which clearly 
indicated to me that he had discovered the slot of a deer. 
There he stood gazing intently in my face, until, if all 
was ready, I gave him with my hand the signal to ^^go 
on;^' or, if my gun happened to be loaded with fine shot 
for partridges or grouse, until I had drawn them and put 
in buck-shot or balls. On this occasion he slowly fol- 
lowed the track in an easterly direction, perpendicularly 
from the brook. After pursuing this course for about a 
mile, he turned to the left and in a little while turned 
again and moved on directly westward for the brook. In 
due time we drew near the little stream, and I observed 
Blue raise his head on high, and then I knew he had 
winded the deer. We were just entering a patch of tall 
horse-iceeds, as they are called here, and I touched my 
horse with the spur to bring him forward into line with Blue 
on his right, in order that I might have a left-handed 
shot when the deer should bound up. The tall weeds 
being dead rattled loudly as my horse broke through 
them. The deer, suddenly roused from his noonday 



428 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

slumber, I do not doubt, fancied the sound came on the 
wind, which as I have said blew strong from the west- 
ward ; and so impressed, he made a leap to\yard the east 
directly at Blue. The next instant he saw the dog, and 
as a deer will do sometimes, when suddenly surprised, 
" squatted/^ or fell flat upon the ground, hoping to escape 
observation. But Blue had caught a glimpse of him and 
fiercely sprang forward. The buck, for such he now 
proved to be, also bounded up, and in attempting to turn 
about at the same time, was tripped up by the strong 
dry stocks of the horse-weed, and fell. Before he could 
recover his footing. Blue had him by the left hock — the 
part he ahvays seizes when he comes up with a wounded 
deer; the deer fell upon his left side, and the leg of which 
Blue had hold being under him, he could not rise. I 
jumped from my horse, put my foot upon the buck's 
neck, and drove my hunting-knife quite through it, sever- 
ing at one thrust both jugulars. Seeing this. Blue let go 
his hold and shook himself preparatory to the expected 
flow of blood which he always lapped with great satisfac- 
tion. But the instant the leg was released, the buck drew 
it under him, and by a powerful lunge threw my foot off 
and rushed forward. I turned to catch up my gun, which 
lay behind me on the ground, but before I recovered it. 
Blue had him again by the same hock; nevertheless the 
strong deer carried him along running on three legs, 
while the blood was spouting out full a foot from each 
side of his neck. Blue held on, altliough his forefeet 
never touched the ground ; and the deer's right hock was 
beating him over the head at every leap. As I ran by 
their side admiring the novel feat, I saw that Blue's 
eyes were closed as tiglit as my fist while they were 
getting such a pounding. In this way I kept at their side 
twenty or twenty-five yards, when fortunately a deep gully 
or drain crossed their path, or I do not know how the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 429 

struggle would have terminated. This was three feet deep 
and some four or five wide, — the deer attempted to leap, 
but of course he went head foremost to the bottom, with 
the dog on top of him. I leaped down, and thrusting 
my hunting-knife into the deer's breast, severed the aorta, 
which at once settled the matter. 

By this time Jordan on Cherokee was alongside, and 
with his assistance the buck was drawn up out of the 
gully, and I packed him into the Fort without shooting 
him. What think you of that? Adieu. 



Corpus Christi, Texas, January 15, 1845. 

My DEAR Bkother : — My letters, hitherto, have in 
few words informed you that General Taylor's gallant 
little army is encamped upon a plain, extending from the 
mouth of the Nueces, along the beach to the town above- 
named, a mile or more ; and reaching from the water's 
edge back some five hundred yards to the chaparral. 
Here the brigades are encamped in column of companies, 
the right flank being next the beach. And what is re- 
markable, though I have seen the same thing at Tampa 
Bay, is, that excellent water is to be found, by sinking a 
little well from eighteen inches to two feet within a short 
distance of the salt water of the bay, (Nueces.) Almost 
every ofiicer has his own particular well. Mine is to the 
right of my company's wells, which are four in number ; my 
tent is not more than twenty-five yards from the beach, 
and my well is about the same number of feet to the right 
of my tent. General Taylor's headquarters on a slight 
elevation, are not fifteen yards from my own tent, towards 
the right, or Nueces River ; and his tent and those of his 
staif are not more than fifteen feet from the beach, yet his 
well is between his tent and the beach. And this water, 
which is used by the whole force, upwards of three thou- 



430 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

sand strong, is not only wholesome, but is sufficiently 
cool when drawn, to allay the thirst. The winter climate 
is mild, and were it not for the Northers which sweep 
down upon us now and then, would be delightful. These 
Northers, I must tell you, are awful visitations, although 
grand and majestic commotions of the lower atmosphere. 
Their effect upon the animal structure is such that I can 
account for it only in one way. It is this : these fierce 
winds arising along the eastern sloj^e of the Rocky Moun- 
tains, pass with great violence over the vast barren waste 
lying north of Texas, and called FJl Llano Estacaclo, — 
the staked i^Ialn. This vast sea of sand was so called by 
the early Spanish traders of New Mexico, who kept up 
an overland traffic with their neighbors of the more fer- 
tile and more f)opulous regions of southern Texas. But 
as caravans, not acquainted with the route, often missed 
tlieir way in crossing this sea of floating and trackless 
sand, a party was sent out who planted strong stakes at 
such distances, that each could be seen from the one last 
established, and thus the name. The atmosphere, as I 
have already remarked, passing over this lifeless region, 
is in its passage deprived of its electricity, and in this 
state reaching Texas, strips of its electricity any low-con- 
ditioned animals, particularly if in feeble healthy that 
may be so unfortunate as to be within the limits of its 
course, faster than it can be generated by the circulation 
of the blood. A sad instance, we are told by the people 
of Corpus Christi, occurred last year in this neighbor- 
hood. The wife of a man. living a short distance from 
tlie town, went out as usual on a fine, calm, mild morn- 
ing, to drive up her cow; she remained longer than 
usual, and in the meantime, at a moment's warning, a 
fierce Norther came with terrific violence across the plain. 
As soon as the husband discovered that his wife had not 
returned, he hurried out in search of her, and after search- 



BY GEORGE A. 3IcCALL. 431 

ing far and near, at last found, not two hundred yards 
from his own door, the poor wife, who was not past the 
middle age, cold and lifeless. The morning being quite 
warm, she had gone out very lightly clad, and as they 
supposed, the cow had strayed off farther than usual. 
The Norther had overtaken her at a distance from her 
home, and before she reached it, the vital principle had 
been sapped ; she fell to the ground to rise no more. This 
I believe is a well-known fact. 

After the occurrence of a Norther, the wind invariably 
passes to the west; then the weather is fair, the air is 
elastic and buoyant, and the temperature moderate and 
equable for perhaps two or three weeks : by this time the 
wind has reached the south ; the heat increases gradually, 
until it attains an almost insupportable ardor; suddenly, 
without the slightest warning, the wind chops round di- 
rectly to the north ; in a few minutes you hear its awful 
roar, and when the horizon is open and distant, as is the 
case here, you can absolutely me a dense column of atmo- 
sphere of a gray color, of a substantial or almost solid 
appearance, advancing upon you, while at the same time 
you begin to feel the effects of a change of atmosphere 
upon the system ; a chill of indescribable faintness comes 
over the animal fabric, which sometimes, under the cir- 
cumstances I have described, terminates in death. No 
Texan of this res^ion ever leaves home for a sing-le dav, 
at this season, however soft and clear the weather may 
be, without taking with him the heaviest and warmest 
clothing he possesses. If the Norther is accompanied by 
rain in the form of sleet, it is of course the more severe. 
Not a fortnight since, we had one of these Wet Northers^ 
as they are called; our camp was all ice, — ice was the 
all-pervading element, — the troops were prisoners in their 
ice-bound tents; for myself, I can say I found it impos- 
sible, without cutting open my own wall-tent, to make 



432 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

my exit, until my servant came with a kettle of boiling 
water^ and gently pouring it over tlie door^ or opening, 
separated the folds, and enabled me to make. my exit. 

A short time before this, taking advantage of the in- 
terval of pleasant weather, a party was formed for a grand 
hunt up the Nueces River. It consisted of Colonel Gar- 
land, Captain Martin Scott, Lieutenant Marcy, and my- 
self. Garland and myself had a five-mule team and 
wagon for our tents, bp.ggage, and provisions, and Scott 
and Marcy another, with which the Quartermaster had 
furnished us. We also had four soldiers to each wagon, 
as a guard against Indians, who sometimes ranged that 
country. The four with our wagon were of my own 
company, selected by myself as sturdy fellows ; those of the 
other wagon were of Scott's company, and with the teamsters 
(also soldiers and armed) and ourselves, made a party of 
fourteen well-armed hunters. We marched about seventy 
miles up the Nueces River, and there hunted three days. 
The result was some twenty deer, about seventy turkeys, 
and ducks, geese, and partridges not numbered. IMost 
of the game succumbed to Marcy and myself, but two or 
three of the deer having been shot by the other officers. 
Of the turkeys, all but two were fine gobblers, and in 
the most brilliant plumage, as well as in condition for 
the table. 

We had quite a pleasant time, tlie weather being as fine 
as one could have desired. On one occasion, — the third 
day going out, — the road, an old grass-grown way of 
former days, passing not far from the oak and other 
southern timber which margins the rivers in this other- 
wise naked prairie country. Colonel Garland and Marcy 
diverged to the right, or in other words, made their way 
into the lowlands or timber-bottom referred to, while 
Scott and myself turned off' in the opposite direction, and 
ascended a rocky cliff, which tried the strength and 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 433 

activity of our horses. We were all at this time about a 
mile in advance of our wagons. We soon reached the 
second bottom, as ilie intermediate shelf or plateau be- 
tween the river-bottom and the high prairie land is called. 
We here found ourselves in a broken^ disjointed, shelfy 
flat, from a quarter to half a mile wide, where apparently 
in former times a terrible shaking up of rocky fragments 
had taken place. Sharp points of rock w^ere protruding 
from the earth in every directfon from one to five feet 
high ; some were sharp and flat, showing their stratified 
formation. The rest of the surface seemed to have been 
monopolized by the Cactus Opuntia, whose thorny spines 
compelled us to pick our way. 

We had not long been wending our way through tliese 
various obstacles, when a clattering noise reached our 
ears, very suggestive of Indians approaching. Both of 
us reined up to await the denouement. In another mo- 
ment, horses' heads appeared above the top of the cliff, 
and in one more instant, some fifty or sixty fine horses 
bounded upon the flat at a few hundred yards in front of 
us, but no Indian horsemen were to be seen. In fact, it 
was a drove of mustangs, or wild horses, startled from the 
river-bottom by Garland and Marcy. I exclaimed, — 
"Scott, I must have a brush with those fellows!'' to 
which however he did not respond, not being as well 
mounted as myself. Fortunately I was riding the best 
of my horses, the gallant Champion ; who, as I have told 
you, is a blooded animal, and is a first-rate mile-horse. 
Greatly excited at the sight of these beautiful animals 
bounding over the rocks, I clapped spurs to Champion 
and went at them ; it was fearful riding, one constant 
succession of leaps either high or long; but I had enduring 
confidence in Cliampion's strength and sure foot, and I 
saw nothing but the wild horses. Champion brought me 
safely out of the flat, and spread himself, or bounded 
37 2C 



434 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

forward on the broad level plain. The grass had been 
burned, and the sod was as firm and elastic as a race- 
course. Putting my horse at his top speed, I was not 
long in drawing near to the troop. The first one I came 
up to was a dun mare with her foal ; as I passed her, I 
cried out, '^ Good-morning, Molly ! " and soon after was 
riding in the midst of the troop. They were going at 
full speed, and made the earth shake. They were suffi- 
ciently spread laterally to give me plenty of room ; I 
noticed several horses whose withers, as I rode by their 
side, appeared nearly or quite as high as Champion's, (he 
is fifteen hands and a quarter.) At length I observed a 
black horse whose coat shone like the raven's wing ; his 
mane and tail were full and flowing, and the former 
floated on the air like a regal filament. I never had seen 
so splendid a picture of a war-horse. I dashed at him, 
and Avas soon at his side, when I laid the barrel of my 
gun upon his neck, and rode side and side with him for 
perhaps one hundred yards, when, finding that my horse 
was passing him, I said, ^'Fall back. Blacky,'' and tapped 
him on the forehead with my gun; but being a little in 
advance, my gun struck him rather on the farther side of 
the head. This brought his forehead violently against 
my elbow, and his shoulder against my horse's flank, 
which nearly turned him round." As my horse recovered 
himself, it brought the black's head directly under my 
right arm, and we went on in that position, Blacky ap- 
parently perfectly quiet and undisturbed by the contact, 
until I gave him another tap on the forehead with the 
butt of my gun, when he passed to the rear, and I saw no 
more of him. I spurred on to the head of the troop, for 
I was absolutely mad or insane with excitement, and my 
horse Champion seemed to partake of tlie feeling. Here 
I rode at the head of the troop among the best of the horses, 
admiring their great beauty : they were of diflerent colors, 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 435 

the bay and sorrel predominating ; but there were also 
black and white^ dappled and gray, and pled or painted. 
At length I began to think I had gotten far enough from 
my party, and I drew in gradually and let them pass, 
which they did without jostling or in any way interfering 
with me. This was my first interview with the wild 
horses of the plains, and never shall I forget the wild 
delight of that ride. Adieu. 

P. S. — You may possibly ask why I did not attempt 
to capture one of them. I answer, that I could with ease 
have put the loop of a lasso with my hand over the head 
of the Black or almost any of them ; but unless the 
rider's horse is trained to watch the movements of the 
wild horse, and throw himself on his haunches directly 
in the direction the other takes, he will be roughly jerked 
to one side, his forefeet will consequently cross, and he 
Avill be thrown instead of throwing the other. It would 
have been an impracticability with an untrained horse, 
and a most dangerous experiment. I have seen the thing 
done by the Mexicans, when catching a half-wild mule 
from out of a drove brought for sale to the Quarter- 
master. Good -night. 



Corpus Christi, Texas, February 22, 1846. 

My DEAR Brother: — We are still here, lying idle. 
I have little to tell you unless I touch upon the old 
ground, namely. Northers and deer-shooting, of which you 
have probably had quantum snff.; but in truth we have 
nothing to engage our attention more important than to 
pre[)are for the Norther, and after it has passed, to ride 
out beyond the chaparral, two or three miles, to the 
plains, the resort of deer in immense herds, geese, cranes, 



436 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

and tlie long-eared hare, one of the fleetest quadrupeds on 
our continent. The number of deer to be seen covering; 
the plains is incredible. Officers will come in and say we 
saw a thousand deer to-day ; others will tell you they saw 
at least two, three, or five thousand. Indeed, I have seen 
the plain covered as far as the eye could reach from my 
horse's back. But they remain at a distance from the 
chaparral, and it is impossible to approach within rifle- 
shot ; the Mexicans sometimes use a '^stallcing horse, ^^ the 
dried skin of the head, neck, and part of the body of a 
mustang, which they with great caution push before them 
as they advance, crawling on the breast ; then one rifle- 
shot puts in commotion the entire creation, you might 
imagine, of the deer family. There are, however, always 
a few about the edge of the forest or chaparral, and they 
generally bounce within fair gunshot ; I have killed them 
here running at sixty to ninety yards with a musket-ball 
fired, from my double-barrel fowling-piece, from the 
saddle. In this respect Champion is without an equal. 
If I am riding at speed and simply drop the reins, he 
halts instantly and stands like a rock while I fire. 

St. Joseph's Island, our principal depot of supplies, or 
the base of operations of this army, is one of several islands 
on the Gulf coast in front of the entrance to Corpus Christi 
Bay, the exterior expanse of Nueces Bay, on whose shore 
we are encamped. 

By the way, we had a grand mirage last week, when 
this St. Joseph's Island, which is distant sixty miles, 
was elevated to our view above the intervening forest, 
and was distinctly visible for several hours. Here all 
supplies from New Orleans or from New York are landed 
and thence brought up in lighters. A fortnight or three 
weeks ago, the Chief Quartermaster reported to the 
General that the Quartermaster at New Orleans had sent 
the number of wagons called for, but that five of them 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 437 

would be without teams, as the number of mules sent was 
twenty-five less than the number required. This brought 
from the General one of his choleric expressions against the 
Quartermaster's Department, of which he is no great 
admirer ; but with his usual quickness of decision, he 
directed the officer to send him all the Mexicans in camp ; 
(there are usually a dozen or so here as traders, or Govern- 
ment spies.) The General, when they were assembled in 
front of his tent, told them he wanted fifty wild horses, 
for which they would be paid a fair price. In half an 
hour, four of these men were, ^ounted and off for the salt 
plains, one hundred miles distant, Avhere the mustangs 
collect in vast numbers. Here they built from the nearest 
meskee woods — the limbs lashed together with the lasso 
and hauled along the ground by their riding-horses — a 
corral with a funnel entrance, into which they forced some 
seventy wild horses, and in ten days from the time they 
started, drove into the Quartermaster's corral here, up- 
wards of fifty of them. Twenty-five of the best were soon 
selected, lassoed, (which was an amusing sight,) thrown, 
haltered, and delivered into the hands of the teamsters 
who had been selected to break them into harness. 

The docility of these horses is astonishing. The team- 
sters, old horsemen, after a couple of days, induced them 
to eat a little grass, cut for them; then they buckled a 
collar upon their necks, and so on with the rest of the 
harness, when they suffered themselves in a few days to 
be led about the corral. Finally, five (all bays) were 
attached to each wagon, and with a man at the head of 
each horse, started, in train, to make a circuit in front of 
the camp. This was accomplished without the slightest 
accident. The teamsters have already taught them to eat 
hay and corn ; they also begin to put a log or two, or some 
other light weight, into the wagon, and as they are exer- 
cised for two or three hours twice a day, it is not doubted 
37- 



438 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

that they will be ready for the march by the early part of 
next month, when the General purposes advancing to the 
Rio Bravo del Norte, or Rio Grande. The rest of the 
horses were speedily disposed of by the Mexicans to offi- 
cers and others in camp. I bought a beautiful young 
mare, an iron-gray, for five dollars. In a few days she 
sufiered herself to be mounted and ridden slowly about 
without opposition. Adieu. 



Camp opposite Matamoras, March 28, 1846. 

My dear Brother: — Information has just been sent 
round to us by the General, that he will dispatch a mail 
for Point Isabel, early in the morning, and I avail myself 
of the opportunity to inform you that I am Avell, and to 
give you some idea of the character of our march hither, 
our present position, &c. 

First, though, as to our position. We are encamped on 
the left bank of the Rio Grande, which is here about one 
hundred and fifty yards wide, with the town on the oppo- 
site bank in our front, and its battery looking us full in 
the face. We arrived here yesterday morning between 10 
and 11 o'clock, and at once took the position we now 
occupy. As the several brigades came into line of battle, 
we observed the house-tops covered with Mexicans, male 
and female, and their military began to march about with 
music and banners, — making altogether (for many of the 
houses are large and fine-looking) quite an imposing dis- 
play. In a few minutes we had erected a flag-staff, and 
the Stars and Stripes were given to the breeze, while our 
bands played Hail Cohunbia. Soon after this a group of 
Mexican officers collected on the opposite side at the 
water's edge, and were requested by General Taylor to 
send a boat over. After some little delay, a boat came 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 439 

with a staff-officer ; he was Informed that General Worth, 
the second In command, wished to be conducted to the 
commanding General of the Mexican troops, (General 
Mehia,) as the bearer of a letter from General Taylor, and 
to hold some conference with him. The Mexican officer 
said he would make the request of the American General 
known to his commander, and departed. On his return 
he replied to the message sent, that General Mehia would 
meet General Taylor, but that he could not receive in 
person his second in command, though he was willing to 
send his second officer to meet General Worth. The 
latter proposition was agreed to, and General Worth was 
received under a tree near the water, by General La Vega. 
A long conference resulted in the most positive declara- 
tion of the Mexicans to allow no Intercourse, and to all 
our conciliatory overtures, talked only of "war to the 
knife." Well, General Taylor's orders were positive not 
to commence hostilities ; so here we stand looking at each 
other. 

The Mexican force In the town is, as nearly as we can 
ascertain, fourteen hundred Infantry and four hundred 
cavalry. Ours is two thousand Infantry and artillery, and 
three hundred cavalry. General Ampudia Is at Monterey 
with three thousand five hundred men, or, is perhaps 
marching this way ; but the probability Is w^e shall not 
come to blows, unless our Government decide on declaring 
war, and direct us to strike the first blow. 

As soon as the engineers have laid out the lines, a field- 
work will be thrown up at each flank of our line, and a 
siege train of heavy guns, which we expect in a fcAV days 
from Point Isabel, will be mounted to command the town. 

So you have all the information I can give you in mili- 
tary matters ; for my individual self, I enjoyed the march 
very much, as I always do. I brought my horses with 
me, one of which I packed with such things as I required 



440 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

for comfort, and tlie other I rode occasionally on the 
march. We saw abundance of game on the march (160 
miles) ; I chased the wild horse and antelope, and killed 
the wild bull and the wild boar. The Mexican wild boar, 
the Peccary, is a singular animal ; it has no tail, and it 
has a musk-pouch on the after-part of the back, wdiich 
exudes a strong smell of musk. I obtained permission 
one day to ride off from the column, and fell in with a 
party of eight of these gentlemen. We had quite a con- 
flict ; a large boar charged at me twice with the noise and 
speed of a small locomotive, but I so managed my horse 
as to avoid him ; and using musket-balls in my double 
gun, I continued to fire and load, sometimes pursuing and 
again keeping aloof, till in the course of half a mile I 
shot down three of them. The wild cattle are the descend- 
ants of the cattle imported from Spain when the country 
was first taken possession of by the Sj^aniards, and have 
been running wild in the regions we j^assed through as 
long as have the horses. They afforded fine sport, the 
bulls being much more courageous than the buffalo. One 
dragoon had his horse killed; two horses were struck, one 
of them badly cut, and several gentlemen had hair-breadth 
escapes to tell of. While passing through the district in 
which they range, I rode with Colonel Garland one morn- 
ing in advance of the column, and we fell in with a large 
bull who charged us. The Colonel got the first shot, but 
made a clear miss ; and as the bull turned towards him, his 
horse bolted and ran away with him. As my horse stood 
perfectly still, I fired from my right barrel a musket-ball, 
as he arrived within twenty paces of me. He was coming 
at me full tilt, and my ball struck him in the forehead, 
where I had aimed, but a little too low, being planted 
just over the right eye, whereupon the "bull reeled and 
fell upon his knees. He rose again, but retreated, and I 
was compelled to follow him at half speed, and to put 



BY GEORGE A. 3fcCALL. 441 

tlireo more balls into hini before he gave up. I took his 
tongue and the meat from one side; but left some six or 
seven hundred pounds of beef for the wolves and vultures. 
His tail, which I took as a trophy and placed on my horse's 
head, I gave to Captain Bragg, whom I happened to meet 
as I entered the camp, and with it a good steak. But 
you are weary of such adventures ; I will therefore bid 
you farewell. 



Camp opposite Matamoras, April 14, 1846. 

My dear M : Since my letter announcing our 

arrival at this point, we have all been hard at work, 
strengthening our position. They have also been equally 
vigilant and laborious on the opposite side ; for instance, 
they have thrown up four batteries upon the river-bank, 
besides the small fort which previously commanded the 
upper crossing, and Avhich they have now strengthened. 
We have en barbette immediately in front of the town 
and near the bank of the Rio Bravo, a battery of four 
eighteen-pounders. And in rear of this, a field-work of 
a permanent character, sufficiently large for 800 or 1000 
men, is progressing rapidly. This, when finished, will 
enable a regiment or a regiment and a half to repel any 
force the Mexicans would be likely at this time to bring 
against it. 

They still hold out the idea of war to the knife ; and 
two days since sent a trumpet to the ferry and called a 
parley. Two of the staff of General Ampudia (w^ho I 
should have mentioned had reached Matamoras the day 
before) requested an interview with General Taylor. On 
their being received, they formally announced the arrival 
of General A. with a large force ; and stated that he re- 
quired General Taylor to retire from the State of Tamau- 
lipas (the disputed territory), and that if he did not leave 



442 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

his present position in twenty-four hours, he (General A.) 
would open his batteries uj^on the American troops. Gen- 
eral Taylor replied that he would give his answer at ten 
o'clock the following morning, and the gentlemen returned. 
In the mean time some new disposition was made of 
our forces, in order to place them a little more without 
the range of the Mexican guns, and our own works 
pushed on with renewed vigor. At the hour appointed, 
General T. sent a letter to Ampudia, saying that he could 
not think of abandoning a position he had been ordered 
to take by the Government ; that consequently, if General 
A. had determined to open his batteries, he might begin 
as soon as he pleased, but for the consequences, wdiatever 
they might be. General A. must become responsible. To 
this letter no response has been made either through Mexi- 
can herald or by guns, and both parties continued to work 
on their respective defences. The Mexican force, as nearly 
as we can learn, since the arrival of Ampudia, is between 
5000 and 6000 men; but there are reports flying that 
some disaffection exists among them. The works were 
continued on their part till about dinner-time, when they 
\vere apparently completed, and since that time all has 
been extremely quiet in the town. It is thought they 
may design crossing in the night, above and below us, 
and we are ordered to be in readiness to meet a night 
attack. The general impression, however, among our offi- 
cers is, that they do not mean to proceed to extremities. I 
shall add a P. S. in the morning, and let you know the 
occurrences of the night. I am quite sleepy, having been 
under arms all last night, for our supply-train being on 
the route with only a moderate escort, the 4th Regiment 
with Ringgold's Artillery Company were ordered to 
march to meet it yesterday at 3 o'clock p. m., and bring 
it in. We met it at the distance of ten miles, but the 
cattle were unable to proceed during the night, and we 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 443 

were compelled to lie on our arms on the prairie, without 
w^ood for fires, except such flimsy brush as we could col- 
lect in the dark, and without tents or blankets. It had 
been blowing a Norther for twenty-four hours, with a driz- 
zling rain, and was quite cold and as dark as pitch. We 
had a very uncomfortable night, and starting this morning 
at 3 o'clock, did not get in till lOJ A. m. So I must lie 
down and take a nap. 

April 15, 6 o'clock a. m. 

P. >S'. — Our slumbers were not interrupted, and I have 
had a refreshing night's sleep. As they are still and quiet 
on the other side, I think it is possible they have with- 
drawn their troops to the rear of the town, where they 
are out of range of our guns, fearing an opening of our 
batteries. The town appears to be also nearly deserted 
by its inhabitants, and the only human beings we see are 
their picket-guards at different points along the river. I 
am of opinion we shall have a tedious time of it here. 



Camp opposite Matamoras, April 23, 1846. 

My dear Sister: — I am sorry to learn your uneasi- 
ness on my account. My health was improved by the 
exercise of the march from Corpus Christi to the Rio 
Grande ; and our general duties here do not subject us to 
greater exposure than was daily incurred at the former 
place. The weather in fact, with the exception of one or 
two heavy rains, has been cool and pleasant for the season, 
and has thus enabled us to prosecute our works to advan- 
tage. Two l)astion fronts of the Fort are already so far 
completed as to be in condition to receive their batteries, 
one of four eighteen-pounders, and the other of four six- 
pounders, and to afford cover for one brigade. The other 
two brigades (a brigade consists of two regiments) are 



L 



444 



LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 



encamped on the right and left flank of the field-work, 
and out of reach of the Mexican batteries. I was sorry 
to see, in a New Orleans paper received by the last mail, 
a report or rumor, that General Taylor had on the erec- 
tion of the Mexican redoubts, retired fowr miles from the 
town. This is altogether without foundation, and there- 
fore a scandalous fabrication. When Ampudia threatened 
to commence hostilities if General Taylor did not leave 
the Rio Bravo in twenty-four hours to the east of the 
Nueces, General Taylor merely put his forces into the 
best position to meet an attack, by moving two of the 
brigades a few hundred yards to the right and left. Our 
present disposition is a very good one; and our position 
is a strong one, as you may perceive by a rude sketch. 



MATAMOf?AS. 



Jt^O/iT, 




-^'^S^Ti^ 



On the right bank of the river is the town extending 
nearly across the bend, between the town and the point is 
a cotton-field (C); above the town you observe a small 
fort (X), which was built before our arrival. Below the 
town are the three batteries they have thrown up recently. 
On the opposite bank is our Fort, and in front of it a 
battery of four brass six-pounders. Between the river 
and the upper end of the pond is the 1st Brigade, (marked 
1st B.j Between the river and the lower end of the jDond 
is the 2d Brigade, (2d B.,) and on their left the Dragoons, 
(D.) The 3d Brigade is encamped just above the Fort 



JJY GEORGE A. McCALL. 445 

whence it can move to support either brigade that may be 
pressed. The small cross (x) near our Fort, is the 
General's Headquarters. The pond referred to is evi- 
dently the old bed of the river, which, like the Mississippi, 
has changed its course at this point. It is a capital bar- 
rier, as it is impassable for man or beast. In the town 
the square marked P is the Plaza, round which are the 
public buildings and the finest dwelling-houses. At the 
time General Ampudia threatened an attack, and said that 
open hostilities must ensue if General Taylor did not 
retire, the latter ordered the two United States vessels 
under his direction at Brasos St. Jago, to blockade the 
mouth of the Rio Grande. And a day or two after, two 
vessels laden with flour, and possibly munitions of war, 
for Matamoras, were stopped and ordered off. Yesterday 
a parley was sounded from the other side, and a letter 
brought over from General Ampudia, remonstrating 
against this act. To-day General Taylor, who has hitherto 
shown great forbearance, sent him a scorching reply. He 
told Ampudia, that before he (General Taylor) left Corpus 
Christi, he had sent the former his proclamation, (in 
Spanish,) stating that his advance was not intended as a 
hostile movement against Mexico, and he had positive 
assurance that it had been received. Yet he had been 
met at Los Pintos, and told tliat if he advanced further, it 
Avould be considered a hostile movement. He had again 
been met at the river Colorado, and warned if he crossed 
that stream he would be fired upon. Again before he 
reached Point Isabel, he had been met by the prefect of 
Matamoras, and the same threat had been repeated, and the 
houses at the Point had been set on fire (which he, General 
Taylor, considered as an act of war). Nevertheless, on his 
arrival at the Rio Grande, he had sent General Worth, to 
repeat in person, that, &c., &c., &c. ; and finally, that 
General Ampudia's last letter had left him no choice but 
38 



446 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

to prepare for the worst; that the blockade of this river 
was the least offensive and injurious measure he could 
adopt to convince General Anipudia of his determination 
not to leave his position ; that General Ampudia could 
have peace or war at his option ; but that, if he desired any 
further intercourse by letter, his wishes must be couched 
in less arrogant and more respectful terms. 

There is a vile set of marauders and banditti on this 
side of the river, who will rob and murder any one who 
may be so unlucky as to fall into their clutches single- 
handed ; and these wretches must be hunted out of our 
country or caught and executed, before any citizen can 
settle here in safety. AYe have already commenced the 
thing, and as they muster in bodies of one or two hundred 
sometimes, it may give employment to some of the troops 
during the interval of negotiations between the govern- 
ments of the United States, Great Britain, and Mexico. 

But do not believe any rumors you may hear or see in 
newspapers, — these things are wrong nine times in ten. 
I will always tell you the state of things, so you may rest 
easy with respect to such stories until you hear from me. 

I am on duty to-night (Officer of the Day), and as it is 
past two o'clock, it is nearly time for me to visit the 
guards and pickets ; I will therefore bid you good night. 
Ever affectionately. 



Point Isabel, May 6, 1846, 

My dear Brother: — I received a few hours since 
your letter of the 20th ult., and have now to offer you 
my best thanks for it. 

We have had some passages of arms with the enemy 
bince I last wrote you. In the first place, while we were 
opposite Matamoras at work upon the Fort, the enemy 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. A'Vl 

were reported to be crossing the river some twenty miles 
above. A squadron of dragoons (sixty men) Avere sent 
out by General Taylor to obtain information ; they fell 
into an ambush, and were suddenly surrounded by a 
force of two thousand Mexicans ; they attempted by a 
very spirited charge to cut their way through, but the 
odds were too great ; one officer (Lieutenant Mason) and 
ten men fell, and the remainder were made prisoners. A 
few days after this, General Taylor finding the Fort suffi- 
ciently advanced to be defensible with a garrison of one 
regiment of infantry, and two companies of artillery, 
determined to march Avitli the remainder of li^s force to 
this point (which is the base of his operations), for the 
triple purpose of procuring supplies, completing the de- 
fences here, and meeting the enemy, who it was thought 
would attack us on the route. We marched on the 1st 
inst., and reached here the following morning, but with- 
out encountering the Mexican Army. 

On the morning of the 3d, the enemy opened his bat- 
teries at Matamoras, on our works, occupied, as I have 
remarked, by the 7th Infantry, under command of JNIajor 
Brown, and two companies of artillery. Our guns, how- 
ever, under the direction of Captain Mansfield of the En- 
gineers, silenced all their batteries, with the loss on our 
side of only one man. Before day on the following 
morning. Major Brown sent an express with the infor- 
mation to General Taylor. The man, wlien at the dis- 
tance of ten miles, heard discharges of musketry, and 
supposed the place had been assaulted on this side ; but 
we have heard nothing further, neither do we feel any 
uneasiness for our friends. AVe shall continue to work on 
the defences here till some time in the afternoon to-mor- 
row, when we shall take up the line of march for Mata- 
moras. The enemy is said to be encamped in force on 
our route; if so, we shall probably have a battle on the 



448 , LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

following day. Shotild it be so, you will have the public 
accounts of it as soon as you receive this, for I do not 
expect my letter will leave here in less than two or three 
days. In numbers, they are far above us ; but we have 
confidence in our troops, and the men are eager for a con- 
test with them. Good-night. 



Matamoras, May 18, 1846. 

My dear M : You observe that this letter is 

dated from the Mexican side of the river. We crossed 
yesterday,, and took possession without opposition, the 
enemy having decamped in the course of the night pre- 
ceding. The force that retreated under General Arista 
is stated to have been about four thousand. Our force 
which crossed is about one thousand eight hundred. We 
shall have, however, in about a week, an addition of some 
three thousand men, of whom five hundred are Regulars ; 
the remainder. Volunteers from Louisiana. On their 
arrival, we shall probably advance towards Monterey, one 
hundred and eighty or more miles interior. The loss of 
the Mexicans in the battles of the 8th and 9th was very 
great ; at the lowest estimate, much over one thousand in 
killed and wounded, and upwards of three hundred are 
admitted to have been drowned in crossing the Rio 
Grande in their retreat. On the first day their force was 
near seven thousand, and on the second day (the 9th) 
they were joined previous to the battle by the two Tam- 
pico Regiments, which, notwithstanding their loss on the 
8th, brought their numbers up to about seven thousand 
eiffht hundred. These two reo^iments were called Vct- 
erans; had been in twenty battles, and it is said were 
never beaten. They stood their ground well, and were 
almost annihilated ; one regiment retiring from the field 
with but twenty-five men. Our loss in these two days 



BY GEOBGE A. McCALL. 449 

was one hundred and sixty killed and wounded. In our 
advance-guard, two hundred and twenty strong, there 
were seven killed, and one officer and fifteen men wounded. 
You have no doubt learned through the papers that Gen- 
eral La Vega was taken prisoner with many officers. 



P. McCall, Esq., Philadelphia. 

Camp at Matamoras, Mexico, June 14, 1846. 

My dear Peter : — On the return of General Taylor 
from Point Isabel, (his base of operations,) which he had 
now strongly fortified, he marched rapidly to the relief of 
Fort Brown, opposite Matamoras, already besieged by 
the enemy, and met Arista, probably the best of their 
Generals, at Palo Alto, in an open plain in front of the 
forest which extends ten or twelve miles east of the city. 

Between one and two o'clock P. M., on the 8th, a body 
of cavalry, seen in front, retired quietly as we advanced ; 
a pretty good indication of the presence of their army at 
this point. A general battle was now certain, and on reach- 
ing the spring at Palo Alto, our immense train of wagons 
was parked, and the order of battle was established. 
Parties of Dragoons sent in advance, returned and re- 
ported the enemy in great force ; they were not, however, 
as yet visible to us of the line, and every man seemed to 
stand an inch higher, as he strained forward to get a sight 
of them. The five regiments of infantry advanced in 
line of battle, ployed into double column at half distance, 
with deploying intervals, and were thus prepared to form 
square in the event of a sudden charge of cavalry, con- 
sidered the strongest arm of the Mexicans. Our artillery, 
in all ten pieces, was disposed of thus: — two eighteen- 
pounders in the centre, the Horse Artillery (Ringgold's 
Company, three 6-pounders and one howitzer) between 
the 3d and 4th Regiments, (that is, in the right wing,) and 
Captain Duncan's Company (two six-pounders and two 
38* 2 D 



450 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

howitzers) in the left wing, or between the regiments of 
the 1st Brigade. We had but two squadrons of Dra- 
goons ; one was in rear of the right centre, the other the 
left centre. Thus formed, we moved forward a few hun- 
dred yards, and began to see the glisten of their bayo- 
nets, still at least one and a quarter miles distant ; and as 
we marched on in perfect parade order, their line con- 
tinued to develop to the right, till at last when their entire 
force became visible, it appeared that both their right and 
left extremes were nearly the length of our whole line 
beyond either flank of our little army. 

The Mexicans were drawn up in two lines, as we have 
since learned, with a strong reserve. The first line con- 
sisted of twelve hundred cavalry, of whom eight hundred 
were lancers. The second line was of infantry, with 
eleven pieces of artillery distributed in the intervals 
between battalions: their entire force, as since ascertained, 
was something over six thousand, while ours was under 
two thousand three hundred. The Mexican right rested 
on a ridge, their left on a marsh. Our right rested on a 
sparse chaparral ; but the plain in front was entirely free 
from bushes, and we had a fair view of them. They 
seemed to have everything in readiness to receive us, for 
not even a staff-officer was in motion along their line. 
On the other hand, we continued without beat of drum, to 
advance with the measured step of a drill-day, so that 
altogether the two armies presented, as you might say, a 
goodly sight to look upon. We had, however, barely got 
within range of their artillery, when they opened upon us. 
The fire was returned by our eighteen-pounders ; our 
infantry was ordered to deploy, with the exception of the 
regiment on the left ; and the horse and light artillery 
were thrown forward to try what impression they could 
make, or to induce the enemy to manceuvre a little. 

The first scene was quite creditable to the discipline 



Br GEORGE A. McCALL. 451 

and skill of the Mexican soldier ; for we constantly saw 
their ranks cut open by our shot and the spaces regularly 
closed ; while we began to find out^ from indisputable evi- 
dence, that their artillery was pretty well served. As soon 
as the smoke began to cover the plain, a large body of 
Lancers, under General Terahon (who commanded the 
Cavalry), followed by two light pieces of artillery, could 
be discovered filing oif to operate upon our right flank. 
To meet this movement, our extreme right regiment (5th 
Infantry) was ordered to the right and rear under cover 
of the chaparral, and the adjoining regiment (3d In- 
fantry) was thrown back still further. Terahon advanced 
in good order ; but as he cleared the point of chaparral, 
he unexpectedly found the 5th Regiment in square, ready 
to receive him. He passed obliquely by the third front 
of that regiment, discharging a volley from his EscopitaSy 
and wounding five men ; then wheeling before the first 
front, he formed for a charge. During this time the 
square had remained quietly at shouldered arms, without 
returning the fire ; but when the head of the column of 
Lancers charging was within thirty paces of the 5th Regi- 
ment, the first front was ordered to fire. In an instant 
thirty or forty saddles were emptied and some confusion 
produced. Then, just in the very nick of time, came up 
Lieutenant Ridgely, who had been ordered to the right 
of the square with two pieces of Ringgold's Battery, and 
at short quarters gave the Lancers two charges of canister 
shot. The havoc was great ; men and horses were pitched 
in every direction. The Mexican cavalry retired, fol- 
lowed by their artillery, which, owing to boggy ground, 
had not even got into battery. The whole of them Avere 
handsomely peppered by Ridgely and afterwards by Ring- 
gold, until they finally broke and reached their own lines 
in confusion. During this time a movement had been 
perceptible on the enemy's right, evidently with a view to 



452 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

take our left likewise In flank. But a destructive fire 
from Captain Duncan^s Battery, which boldly advanced 
with his guns en jyrolonge into the plain, and perhaps a 
glance at the scene just described, had a very cooling 
effect upon Mexican over-confidence. (They actually 
brought with them to this field five hundred women, to be 
employed in pillaging and stripping the dead.) 

On our side, confidence was rising from par to a _pre- 
mium, and, I dare say, we should soon have been at them, 
" horse, foot, and dragoons," had not an Incident occurred 
which, novel indeed in the history of battles, completely 
put a stop to the one on hand for the time being. A wad 
from one of Duncan's guns, falling into a bunch of dry 
grass, fired the prairie on our left. An attempt was made 
to extinguish it, but a fine breeze was blowing In a direc- 
tion parallel to our lines, and In a few minutes the red flames 
began to dance and pitch Into the air high above our heads. 
Soon this wild fire, beyond the control of man, darted 
forward, cleaving through the light-blue clouds that had 
sprung from the cannon's mouth and overspread the plain, 
hissing and crashing like a mighty Demon of the Prairies 
roused from his slumber by the voice of battle. Onward 
he rushed between the contending hosts, belching volumes 
of murky smoke Into their very faces, and lifting his red 
arms on high, as if he revelled In the midst of human 
carnage. 

In other words, the two armies were completely shut 
out from each other's sight, and fairly separated by a bar- 
rier alike impenetrable to either. The firing on both sides 
ceased entirely. We drew ofl' a short distance, and hav- 
ing formed square, rested on the ground as we would 
have done after a drill of an hour and a half "We re- 
mained Inactive an hour and a half more, during wdiich 
period the General rode along the line chatting with the 
officers, and those of diflerent regiments visited each other. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 453 

Major Ringgold rode up to our regiment, and I talked 
with him for' half an hour. Alas ! when I next saw him 
a few hours afterwards, he was mortally wounded. 

About 3 o^clock p. m., the fire had passed beyond the 
battle-ground, and the smoke began to clear away ; imme- 
diately General Taylor prepared to attack the enemy's left. 
The 3d and 5th Regiments were ordered to cover the 
wagon-train and our left flank; and the 4th Regiment 
(ours) was put in advance. We moved in double column 
at half distance, for as yet we could not see the enemy ; 
it was something like groping in the dark; and to have 
run blindfold upon the Lancers, unprepared to form 
square, would not have been the thing. 

We at length found the enemy at some distance to their 
left of their former position ; they had filed off during the 
burning of the prairie, and had concentrated all their 
artillery on their right, probably expecting we would 
attack them on that flank. As they were now drawn up, 
an impassable pond covered a greater part of their front, 
and we did not get sight of them until we were in the act 
of ascending a swell of land on our side of the pond, at 
the distance of five hundred yards from their line. Here 
our artillery unlimbered and opened its fire ;' while the 
4th Regiment, followed by the 1st Brigade, was ordered 
to endeavor to gain the enemy's left. A flank movement 
of our column was ordered, and at that time a cannon- 
shot carried off* the lower jaw of an old companion of 
mine. Captain Page, who was leading the 1st Division ; 
and as I was leading the 2d Division, he fell immediately 
on my left. As I passed him, poor fellow, he presented 
a shocking sight. The next instant the head of the sol- 
dier on the right of the division was carried away, and his 
brains were dashed into the faces of those around me. I 
do not know that I am right in opening to your view 
such scenes, my dear friend, but they are nevertheless the 



454 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

frequent contrasts to the sublime and beautiful of a battle. 
On the field, however, you regard these things with much 
indifference; they seem to occur, as Paddy would say, 
quite naturally there. (Strange to say. Page still lives.) 

There was heavy firing of artillery, with more or less 
effect, on both sides until dark ; but, although there was 
some manoeuvring, yet, owing to the character of the 
ground, we never came to close quarters, and nothing par- 
ticularly worthy of notice occurred. 

Both armies may be said to have slept on the field 
of battle; — we had advanced and they had retired a 
little ; but our right was not half a mile from their right, 
and w^e could distinctly hear the cries of the wounded 
during the stillness of the night. As soon as the 4th 
Kegiment had taken its position for the night, (for we lay 
on our arms,) I sought out Ringgold and remained with 
him until after his wounds were dressed. He held my 
hand all the time, and talked with me as calmly of the 
battlefield and on other subjects, as ever he did in his 
life. Poor fellow ! he met his fate like a noble soldier, 
as he had proved himself during the engagement. I saw 
him for the last time the next morning before we marched ; 
that morning he was carried to Point Isabel, where he 
sank, through the shock sustained by his nervous system, 
on the third day. 

At dawn the enemy was discovered to be withdrawing 
into the chaparral, and General Taylor determined to 
attack him there. 

It was accordingly arranged, that a detachment of 
infantry and the two eighteen-pounders should be left as 
a guard to the baggage. The line of battle was formed, 
and as we advanced, the edge of the chaparral was recon- 
noitred. It now appeared that the enemy had retired 
altogether. The country between us and the river was 
for seven miles a forest of meskeet timber, filled with the 



I 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 455 

thorny undergrowth called chaparral. There is through 
this forest only one road^ and on this road are two strong 
natural defences, (i. e. ravines or ponds with steep banks, 
now dry,) at either of which a stand might be made, with 
great advantage by the Mexicans, if disposed further to 
oppose our march. The army had now halted on the 
prairie, and we were calculating on the chances for another 
fight. A reconnoitring party was sent forward, and the 
enemy was found in full forpe (having received that 
morning reinforcements from Matamoras) at Resaca de 
la Palma, about three miles from the scene of the last 
battle. 

This was a well chosen position. The natural strength 
of the line they occupied was indeed great ; and such was 
their confidence, that La Vega said the next day at General 
Twiggs' tent, — 

" If I had had with me yesterday one hundred thou- 
sand dollars in silver, I should have considered it as 
secure as in the city of Mexico, and I icoidd have bd the 
ichole of it, that no ten thousand men on earth could drive 
us from our position.'^ 

This battle was fought as boldly by General Taylor as 
that of the preceding day had been cautiously. He was 
himself frequently personally exjjosed ; — on one occasion, 
a gentleman present having remarked to him, — " General, 
you are much exposed here;'' he replied, ^^Well, we'll 
ride forward a little, and the shot will drop behind us," 
and immediately suited the action to the word. The 
chaparral or thorny thicket did not admit of any regu- 
larity of movement, and it was simply the impetuosity of 
our men that gained the day. 

In passing through the Mexican camp after the battle, 
there was seen every evidence of Arista's confidence. His 
property, both public ajid personal, was arranged with 
great lieatness. His own tents and camp-equipage were 



456 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

of the costliest materials ; his whole dinner service, for 
instance, was of silver, and was estimated in value at a 
thousand dollars. The outfits of the other general officers — 
there were nine of them, Ampudia, La Vega, Terahon, 
Garcia, &c., &c. — were also very stylish. The loss of 
the enemy was great. I must bid you good-night. 



[extract.] 

Camp at Matamoras, Mexico, July 2, 1846. 

My dear M : I send you this on a sheet of 

General Arista's paper, stamped with the Mexican arms, 
which among other things fell into our hands at "Resaca,'' 
which, by the by, you must translate Ravine^ although you 
will not find it so given in the Dictionaries. The names 
of the battle-grounds of the eighth and ninth are, on the 
authority of General De La Vega, those by which the 
positions (favorite encamping-grounds of the Mexicans) 
have always been known. 

Upon my word, it is no trifle to write long letters in 
camp in such weather as this. A vertical sun comes 
through the sleazy canvas of which our tents are made, 
with force enough to bake one's brains, however thick 
the skull may be ; and at night the torment of insects is 
intolerable, as a single candle brings innumerable musquit- 
tos, gnats, and other blood-thirsty votaries of the daughter 
of chaos, attracted by its light. 

I have made very little acquaintance in the town of 
Matamoras; — the better class of people left the place 
before it fell into our hands ; and there is now very little 
inducement to seek acquaintance beyond what may be 
acquired by riding through the streets. 

We had quite an exciting time recently on the occasion 
of the visit of the delegation from the Legislature of 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 457 

Louisiana, sent to express the thanks of that body to 
General Taylor and his army, — and to announce their 
resolution to present the General with a sword. 

The day after the ceremonies were gone through, and 
they had been entertained by the General, the riglit wing 
of the army invited them to dinner. In this, General 
Worth, who commands the left, declined to join, at least 
so it is said; — at all events, I know he declined an invi- 
tation to appear as a guest. The 4th Regiment is in the 
right wing, so of course we were there. The entertainment 
was given in town at Arista^s Headquarters, a fine large 
mansion. It so happened that the Governor of Texas 
(Henderson, who married Miss Cox of Philadelphia) had 
just arrived, and with him General Lamar, General 
Johnston, and others, who Avere all invited. The old hero 
was of course very much toasted, and very highly compli- 
mented by all the distinguished personages present ; but he 
was in fine spirits and seemed to enjoy it all very much, 
although he commonly takes these things very composedly. 

We are still lying inactive, and I fear likely to be so 
for some time, although the first step to an advance on 
Monterey, that is, the occupancy of the Reinosa, has been 
effected by a battalion of the 1st Infantry recently arrived. 
The cause of our not advancing is the want of means to 
move our supplies ; for we must take them with us. 
Tliere is corn and wheat grown in the country in the rear 
of Monterey, and there is also an abundance of cattle and 
sheep ; but we cannot depend upon drav/ing our supplies 
from the enemy's country, — they may easily remove or 
destroy the breadstuffs and drive off the cattle, and this 
they will certainly do to a greater or less extent. What 
will be the result, I am sure I can form no conjecture. 
The more I see of the Mexican character, the more I am 
dis])Osed to distrust any calculation, whatever that may be, 
made concerning them. Adieu. 

89 



458 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Camp at Matamoras, July 12, 1846. 

My dear M : Accounts from the interior of 

Mexico, as we get them overland, are conflicting ; though 
they all tend to show a disposition, on the part of the 
ruling class, to carry on the war. The army now has 
a strong influence, and of course it is to their interest to 
sustain a President raised up by the war-party, in a war 
which supports them. What effect the mediation of 
England will have, remains to be seen, though I suppose 
she will rather dictate to Mexico her policy, than argue 
as a friendly adviser. If England insists on an imme- 
diate acceptance by Mexico of such terms of adjustment 
as the United States, in a spirit of liberality, may offer, I 
shall hope before a great while to see you all again. 

General Taylor is making every exertion to put in 
depot at Camargo the necessary supplies for a forward 
movement upon Monterey ; but he is out of all patience 
at the dilatory movements of Government Agents in for- 
warding the indispensable means of transportation. The 
1st and 7th Regiments (Regulars) have gone up the river, 
the first to Reinosa, the second to Camargo. When our 
regiment will move, I can form no idea. 

The Rio Grande is looming with the SAvell produced 
by excessive rains in the mountain regions. It is over 
its banks here. The damage to the crops in the country 
about Camargo is very great, and the town itself is re- 
ported to be swept almost entirely away. 

The rains here for several weeks were almost constant ; 
and the 7th Regiment (or part of it), that started to march 
to the last-named town, was compelled to make its way 
to the river and take a steamboat, tlic country being alto- 
gether under water and impassable. The weather has, 
however, been fine for a week past, and I am in hopes 
the roads Avill be better by the time our regiment is 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 459 

ordered to move, as I shall enjoy myself much more on 
the march, if the movement is by land, than I could do 
on board a steamer. Adieu. 



Camargo, Sept. 21, 1846. 

My deae H : I arrived here yesterday after a 

passage of ten days from New Orleans. We did not 
leave the mouth of the river until the morning of the 
12th inst. ; ran on in three days to Brazos Santiago, and 
having passed the mouth of the Rio Grande, we came 
from the latter to this place in three days more. 

Here I learned tliat Major Thomas had been assigned to 
General Butler's Division, and myself to General Patter- 
son's. The last-named division remains on the Rio Grande ; 
Headquarters at this place. I shall thus be deprived of 
the opportunity of entering Monterey with the army. 
Tliey are now doubtless in that city, and the Stars and 
Stripes are probably floating over the fortifications which 
surround the crest of the eminence, on the summit of 
which is situated the Bishop's Palace. 

I found here a letter from Captain Henry, of the 3d 
Regiment, dated Marin, (fifteen miles from Monterey,) 
September 16th. He says: "General Taylor with our 
Brigade (the 3d and 4th Regiments) and the 2d Brigade, 
composing the 1st Division, arrived here yesterday. 
AVorth with his Division will arrive to-day, and Butler 
will be up to-morrow. 

Major Bliss, in a little note, says ; " The country around 
us (Marin) is beautiful beyond description ; we have a 
view of the town of Monterey from the steeple at this 
village, &c." He sends a little sketch of Monterey. . . . 

Adieu. 



460 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Camargo. Sept. 28, 1846. 

My dear M : Last evening Captain Eaton, Aide- 

de-Camp to General Taylor, arrived here with the in- 
telligence of the taking of Monterey. He proceeds to 
Washington with the official despatches, and consequently 
remained with us but a few hours. His account of the 
battles was intensely interesting to us. They had ter- 
rible fighting for three successive days, and our loss is 
very great ; but our flag now waves over the Citadel of 
Monterey. The Mexicans had seven thousand Regulars, 
and several thousand liancheros or irregulars, and had 
strongly fortified the city and the high grounds around it. 
Our force was between five thousand and six thousand. 
Our gallant fellows had to take by assault four small 
forts, besides the Bishop's Palace, (a very strong and im- 
portant point,) before they entered the town. Here the 
severest struggle took place, and many of our finest 
officers and men fell in the street-fight, being exposed to 
the most destructive fire from the house-tops. But they 
gained ground street by street, and left their own dead 
mingled Avith those of the enemy who opposed them. 
The 3d and 4th Regiments covered themselves with glory, 
but their loss has been great indeed. I have to lament 
the fall of several warm friends. It was not my fortune 
to be with them during those days. Eaton told me that 
General Taylor more than once expressed a wish that 
McCall was there. They have gained imperishable fame. 

I have letters from Colonel Garland, Major Bliss, and 
others. Bliss says, September 23d : " We arrived before 
this place on the 19th, and on the 21st our operations 
commenced. Brigadier-General Worth detached with his 
Division and Hoy's Regiment (Mounted Texans) in rear 
of the town, — met the enemy in the morning, and de- 
feated him with considerable loss. In the afternoon the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 4G] 

troops of his Division carried two of the heights which com- 
mand the Saltillo Road. In the meantime, the 1st Regular 
Division, and General Butler's Division of Volunteers, 
l)ecame eno;ao:ed on the left of the town, under the imme- 
diate orders of the commanding General, and succeeded 
In carrying a strong battery and some adjacent defences. 
They occupied a portion of the city for a considerable 
time, and were then withdrawn. Yesterday, the 2d Di- 
vision carried the two remaining works in rear of the 
town ; one of them, the Bishop's Palace, being an im- 
portant position. Last night the enemy evacuated several 
of his batteries in the lower edge of the town, and to-day 
our people have driven him back almost to the Plaza, 
which he yet holds. With that position and the citadel 
he seems disposed to make a stubborn resistance. During 
this period, the 2d Division (Worth's) has also advanced 
into the town on the left. 

"The operations on the left of the town on the 21st were 
attended with a very heavy sacrifice of men. Two hun- 
dred and twenty-five killed, wounded, and missing in the 
volunteer division, while the 3d and 4th Regiments, In- 
fantry, (Regulars,) are almost destroyed. The other suc- 
cesses were obtained with a comparatively small loss. I 
enclose a list believed to be accurate of the officers killed, 
wounded, &c." 

" LIST OF KILLED AND WOUNDED. 

Killed.— M Infantry: Capt. L. N Morris, Capt. G. P. Field, Capt. 
and Brevet-Maj. P. N. Barbour, 1st Lieut, and Adjt. D. S. Irwin, 2d 
Lieut, R. Hasten. 

4tli Infantry: 1st lieut. and Adjt, C. N. Hoskins, 2d Lieut. I. S. 
Woods. 

8th Infantry: Capt, McKavett. 

Wounded. — Breve -Maj. J. K. F. Mansfield, (Engineers,) slightly; 
Capt. AV. E. Williaff-?, (Top. Engineers,) severely; Brevet-Maj. J. J. 
Abercrombie, slighJy. 

1st Infantry: Cj-pt. J. H. Lamott, severely ; 1st Lieut. J. C. Ferrett, 
Beverely. 

39* 



L 



462 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

3d Infantry: Maj. W. W. Lenr, severely; Capt. Bainbridge, slightly. 
4tli Infantry: 1st Lieut. Ft. II. Graham, severely, (three times.) 
5th Infantry : 1st Lieut; H. B. Rossell, severely. 
7th Infantry : 2d Lieut. G. Patten, severely. 
8th Infantry : 2d Lieut. G. Wainwright, badly. 

Of the Volunteers, Gen. Butler was slightly wounded, and fourteen 
officers killed and wounded." 

Capt. Eaton brings up the accounts to the 24th. That 
morning General Ampudia proposed a capitulation ; after 
some delay, the terms were agreed upon, General Ampudia, 
commanding the Mexicans, having had a long conference 
with General Taylor. Tliree commissioners were appointed 
by General Taylor — viz., General Worth, Gov. Hender- 
son of Texas, and Colonel Davis of Mississippi (son-in- 
law of Gen. Taylor), all ambitious men and gallant sol- 
diers ; and the terms agreed upon were, that the Mexican 
army should march out with their arms, and retire icest 
of a certain line, thirty miles beyond Monterey ; and an 
armistice for eight weeks was agreed upon, Ampudia 
pledging himself that his Government was about to make 
a treaty of peace. These terms were granted in considera- 
tion of the Mexicans having made a brave defence of their 
town, and to prevent the further effusion of blood, for 
our gallant fellows had still much hard work before them. 
I have a good deal to do just now and must therefore 
close my letter. Good night. 



Camargo, October 26, 1846. 

My dear H : . . . My last letter gave you the 

first accounts we received of the talving of Monterey, 
which intelligence reached us, as I recollect, on the 27th of 
September ; and looking back at dates, am ashamed to 
confess that I have suffered a month to pas.- without writing 
to you.^^^ But^i I have been so constantly occupied in my 
vocation, that time has slipped by without my taking note 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 463 

of it. My office is at the corner of the Plaza, with a door 
opening directly on each street ; these affording the only 
access for light and air, have to be left open. One would 
think these people had adopted the old English window- 
tax, so chary are they of disfiguring their adobe walls witli 
such conveniences. The Plaza being the point of attrac- 
tion for all volunteers who visit the town from their camps 
around, they are very apt, prompted by business or cu- 
riosity, to call upon the Adjutant-General, who they think 
must of necessity know all their wants and how to sup- 
ply them, as well as all their private grievances and how 
to assuage them. I am frequently at my desk from after 
breakfast till five P. M., writing orders, examining returns 
sent in, or making out my own, and answering or inditing 
letters. At such times I am often greatly annoyed by 
these pestiferous fellows, who sometimes force their way 
past my orderly and vociferously commence an exag- 
gerated complaint against their company officer. They 
are not to be put off by being told that their Colonel is 
the proper person to appeal to, having very likely tried 
that scheme before they came to me, and received small 
satisfaction. 

I was so worried in this way a few days ago, while 
making out an elaborate report for the Adjutant-General 
at Washington, that I had like to have gone mad from^^ 
the prodigious effi^rt it required to contvol my temper. ^ 

But I was greatly amused by a vipit I received late at 
night a short time since. Just as I ,vas about closing my 
office to prepare for bed, there was i rap at the door, and 

who should it be at that hour but 'Japtain M , of the 

Cavalry. He begged me ,o excuse the intrusion, 

but he had come to ask my adv ce; he had been ordered 
in arrest by the General commf.nding his Brigade, and he 
wished to know whether, u^ider the peculiar circum- 
stances, he should obey the arrest. " You know/' said 



464 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

he, ^^ that the General, the Colonel of my regiment, and 
myself, are all cousins of each other. Well, we came over 
to town this evening and happened to meet at the sutler's, 
where we had something to drink in a very friendly spirit; 
but in the coarse of conversation the General spoke dis- 
paragingly and highly disrespectfully of General Taylor. 
Against this I mildly remonstrated ; but as he continued 
in the same vein, I told him decidedly I would not allow 
such language to be spoken in my presence. 

"^Do you know who you are speaking to?' he blurted 
out in a most imperious tone. Being a little thrown off 
my guard by the tone and manner in which this was 
spoken, I replied tartly enough, — ^I am speaking to 

Brio-adier-General Thomas . And who made you a 

Brigadier-General? Why, James K. Polk made you a 
Brigadier-General, and that's more than God Almighty 
ever did for you.' Whereupon I was ordered to my tent 
in arrest. I have now told you exactly what passed, and 
I wish to know whether I ought to obey the arrest or not." 
I replied, '^ You must certainly obey the arrest, for if 
you do not, you lay yourself liable to the charge of dis- 
obedience of orders ; but if you call on the General in 
the morning, I have no doubt the matter will be adjusted 
without difficulty. At any rate, I will see that nothing 
comes of it." 

The Captain, who is a gentleman of refinement and of 
the most brilliant tidents, which have rendered him ever 
conspicuous wheresoever his duty or his pleasure carried 
him, thanked me for t le advice I had given him and took 
his leave. The next : 'orning before breakfast I received 
a communication from he Brigadier, enclosing charges 
against his cousin, the C aptain. I put them away in a 
pigeon-hole, until I should hear more on the subject. 
About noon I received a se^^ond communication from the 
General, requesting permission to withdraw the charges, 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 465 

and asking that they be returned by the bearer. After- 
wards I learned that the Captain had called on the Gen- 
eral as I recommended, and simply asked his cousin, 
^' What do you think General Taylor will say, when he 
reads in the proceedings of the court which tries me, of 
the language you used when sjoeaking of him ? This was 
a phase in the matter that had not struck the General 
before, and the aiiair was settled as I have stated. 

I received last night a letter from my friend Major 
Mansfield, of the Engineers, who greatly distinguished 
himself at Monterey, and is now confined to his couch 
with a wound in the leg. He tells me that Santa Ana is 
at San Louis Potosi, with Almonte and General Negrete, 
in office, and Paredes as a volunteer. He has there eight 
thousand Regulars, and is believed to be urged on by the 
people of Mexico to continue the war. It is reported he 
will soon be surrounded by some thirty thousand men. 
The inhabitants of Saltillo however, he says, refused to 
allow Ampudia, as he retired, to fortify their city, saying 
that he had spent much time and money in completing 
the defences of Monterey, a position stronger by nature 
than Saltillo ; and that they would not suffer their property 
to be destroyed in a fruitless defence. They have since 
sent General Taylor word that, if he will advance with 
the Regulars alone, they will remain at home and receive 
him kindly ; but if he brings on the Volunteers, they will 
abandon the town and dis2:)erse Avith their families in the 
interior. The troops here are much mortified by being 
kept in the rear, while their comrades have been gain- 
ing laurels in front. What will be the next move, 
after the armistice is over, I am really unable to tell you. 
It is thought that General Taylor, after placing strong 
garrisons at Saltillo, Monterey, Lenares, Victoria, and San 
Fernando, thus securing the Northern Department by a 
chain of posts from the first-named to the Gulf, a line 

2E 



460 LETTERS FROM TEE FRONTIERS. 

running but little south of cast from Its beginning, will 
move on Tamplco. My old and valued friend. Colonel 
Belknap, arrived here from Monterey yesterday, on busi- 
ness for General Taylor, and returns to-morrow. I shall 
accompany him for the purpose of seeing the country and 
studying the battle-grounds, and also to get my horse, who 
is with Bragg's battery. This is my favorite horse 
Champion. 

When I was commissioned Assistant Adjutant General 
with rank of Major, in May last, and ordered by General 
Taylor to New Orleans, to muster out of service the 
Louisiana Volunteers, I left my horse with Ridgley, 
who then was in command of Ringgold's Battery. Subse- 
quently this gallant officer was killed by the fall of his 
horse on a large slippery rock in one of the streets of 
Monterey, and Bragg was ordered to the command of this 
battery. 

P. S. — November 1st. — I have received my horse Cham- 
pion ; he is in fine condition and full of spirit. 



I 



Monterey, November 24, 1846. 

My dear H : My visit to this place has been full 

of interest and instruction. The natural strength of the 
place is great ; the works of defence are extensive and well 
planned, giving an advantage to the besieged over the 
besiegers of at least five to one. If, then, you take 
into calculation that the Mexican forces were, in this con- 
test, at least double our own, you may form some idea of 
the gallantry and hardihood of our troops In carrying the 
different heights, one after anotlier, by storm. I have 
been very kindly received by the General, and dined with 
him to-day. Bliss, in whose tent I pass much of my time, 
tells me frankly, that the credit given to him in your 



BY OEORGE A. MrCALL. 467 

Eastern newspapers for the strength and force of the 
GeneraPs military correspondence, is due to tlie General 
himself; that the language is the General's, sometimes, but 
not always, sliglitly polished by himself; — for instance, I 
asked him, for I am on terms of intimacy that would war- 
rant it, whether the famous dispatch, sent from Point 
Isabel on the instant of marching to the relief of Fort 
Brown, and when the Mexicans were reported in great 
force in advance of that place, the General said, '■'' Ij 1 
meet the enemy, in whatever force, 1 will fight him.^^ — I say, 
I asked Bliss whether that despatch was the General's 
or his own. He assured me seriously that it was the 
General's entire, and that he had copied it verbatim 
from the old chief's handwriting. If you recollect what 
a noise this laconic messao;e to the authorities at Wash in tr- 
ton, who at the time were so anxious as to the welfare of 
Taylor's little army made, you will admire the old 
General still more for his plain, manly tone of expression, 
as well as Bliss for his honest candor in rejecting the title 
to credit due to his chief; and which many a man of less 
noble impulses would, by indirection, have suffered to 
pass for his own. 

The scenery in this region is magnificent. There are 
no mountains on the Atlantic slope that compare with 
these of the Sierra Madre. There are, apparently over- 
hanging the town of Monterey, though a mile or more off, 
the Bishop's Mitre and the Saddle Mountain, two de- 
tached and precipitous peaks strikingly resembling the 
objects whose names they bear. In the former are two 
flat points of solid rock, of great height, from which the 
pelting storms of centuries have swept away the earth- 
covering, — if, indeed, they ever had any since their dis- 
ruption, when they emerged from the unknown depths 
below, into chaotic confusion at the surface, — or, perchance, 
they stand now as they did when first they saw the light, 



468 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

it matters very little to my discursive pen ; be it under- 
stood, however, that these two shafts gradually enlarging, at 
their junction form the Episcopal crown with such remark- 
able exactness, that no one can glance that way, particu- 
larly if belonging to the Romish Church, with a slight 
sprinkling of Heathenism infused therein, — as is the case 
with nine-tenths of the creatures in human form who 
dwell in this more than beautiful, this most fertile region, 
whose climate possesses all the charms of the subtropical 
regions of the earth, — without for a moment feeling that he 
is in the supernatural presence of the Head of his Church. 
The latter mountain, when viewed from the town of 
Monterey, has so clear and perfect an outline of the profile 
or side-view of a Mexican saddle, with its horn in front, 
its high cantel in rear, and its snug seat between the two, 
that one would almost be inclined to think that the in- 
ventor of the saddle had taken his design from this moun- 
tain toj), which is conspicuous at the distance of fifty or 
sixty miles. 

But the most wonderful phenomenon in the natural 
scenery of this romantic land is witnessed among the 
mountains beyond Marin at sunrise. Of this grand spec- 
tacle, Colonel Belknap had spoken on the way ; and he 
made a point of reaching, by a forced march, a certain 
camping-ground, where grass and water, indispensable 
requisites, sometimes only met Avith at long intervals, were 
to be found. This camp-ground was ten miles from the 
position he wished to reach before sunrise the next morn- 
ing, in order to see the effect of the first shaft of light 
cast above the liorizon by the great luminary. 

Accordingly, as the moon was full, we mounted our 
horses at half past three A. M., and leaving the escort to 
get their breakfast, and follow at a more moderate pace, 
we urged our horses over rough mountains, and through 
boggy or murky vales without intermission, until we 



i 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 460 

reached a slight elevation, half a mile east of the road 
we had travelled, and Avhich we left at right angles to 
gain this rise of ground. Here we drew up and turned 
our horses' heads to the east, just five minutes before the 
glorious sun made his appearance in an atmosphere clear 
and resplendent. There was directly between that bril- 
liant point on the horizon and the knoll on which we 
had taken our stand, an open gateway through the Sierra 
Madre, — the highest mountains east of the great Amer- 
ican chain, — of which the Rocky Mountains are the rep- 
resentatives in North America. This gateway was defined 
by two high perpendicular walls, — mountain sides, — the 
result of a disruption or great breach of an immense flat- 
topped mountain, whose parts had been cast asunder by 
some violent convulsion in a former geological era. Here, 
then, we sat upon our horses, intently gazing at the east, 
while the sun rose slowly into view, directly through this 
gateway ; and Colonel Belknap skilfully turned my atten- 
tion to this point, for he had only told me of a grand sight 
to be witnessed here at sunrise ; and it was indeed a grand 
sight, as the sun rose and cast his broad, unbridled beams 
full in our faces, while the gate-posts and the mountain 
sides to the right and left were dark in shade. But 
when the sun had fully risen, the Colonel called to me to 
turn and look to tlie rear. I whirled my horse about, — 
but oh ! gracious powers ! what a sight was now presented 
to my astonished senses. I was struck dumb with admi- 
ration and amazement. And now, my dear H., having 
looked with wonder and delight upon this inconceivable 
semblance of reality, a picture whose lights and shades 
no artist's skill can portray, no graphic pen describe, — 
would you believe it! — I am tempted (it must be the 
prompting of my evil genius), in spite of a warning sense 
of the incompetency of the pen of man to convey a just 
estimate of the scene I witnessed, to tell you what I saw and 
40 



470 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

what I felt There was, then, at the distance of two or three 
miles, and directly facing the sun, a detached, broad, 
pyramidal mountain, whose summit towered above the 
clouds, and whose triangular front, from its base to its 
summit, was one unbroken sheet of blazing diamonds ! 
while two other detached peaks, one on the right, the 
other on the left, were so deeply in the shade, that their 
outlines were barely visible : the heavens, too, above, were 
also dark and obscure ; wdiile this magic mountain flashed, 
and burst into flames of red, orange, blue, and green, 
with a brilliancy inconceivable. There appeared to be 
individual gems of monstrous size, whose refractions and 
reflections were as tlie work of sorcery and enchantment ; 
or, rather, as if the hand of the Great Architect of the 
Universe had been passed over the surface of the moun- 
tain. It was magnificent, — it was beautiful beyond mea- 
sure, — it was incomparably the grandest spectacle that 
the senses of man could measure. I was called from 
the rapturous delight with which I had been filled, by 
the Colonel calling out, ''Study it well ; it lasts but eight 
minutes." And so in truth it did. In eight short minutes 
the sun had passed the gateway, and this wondrous scene 
faded into obscurity like a dream. Oil, how sad I felt 
when the magic mountain stood before me now as a gray- 
clad pyramid, without one ray of sun to cheer it. Nor, 
indeed, did we see the sun again for twenty minutes. 
We, without concert, drove the spurs into our horses and 
regained the road. The sole thought, the sole feeling, 
the sole conversation, as we rode on into Marin, was the 
wondrous incident of the morning. It is only for a few 
weeks at this season of the year, when the sun rises di- 
rectly opposite this gateway through the Sierra Madrc, 
that the scene we had just witnessed is opened for the 
contemplation of mortal man. AVe at length reached 
Marin, after a gallop of five miles, for no other gait 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 471 

would have been endurable after the excitement through 
which we had j)as.sed. Here we breakfasted at a tolerable 
hotel, and in the afternoon reached here, as I have al- 
ready told you. Adieu. 

P. S. — I forgot to tell you that at Marin I saw some 
fine specimens of the rock of the Brilliant Mountain. It 
is, as I had supposed, " Sdoute, or crystallized sulphate of 
lime/' a common rock in the mountains of this region. 
I have seen it c^^opping out in vast patches on the moiin- 
tain sides, to be seen for miles, and glistening in the sun- 
shine like great plates of glass. The mountain I have 
been speaking of, as the amazing object of our ride, had 
evidently been cleft through its centre, and together with 
the two peaks which now stood near it, hurled from a spur 
of the Sierra Madre not far distant. But never shall I 
forget the impression its wonderful appearance, when 
lighted up by the sun bursting through the well-defined 
gap in the Sierra Madre, made upon my senses. 



[The following note from Col, Bliss was received Jan. 4, 1847.] 
MoNTEMORELos, December 25, 1846. 

To Major Geo. A. McCall. 

Dear Major: — Your notes of the 16th and 18th were 
received on the 24th. We have been so constantly on the 
move for nearly a fortnight, that I have had no chance to 
write and as little to send anything to your Headquarters. 
We should be more full to-day but for the expectation of 
seeing you soon. 

The "stampede" at Saltillo was rather a failure, but it 
turned out well enough, for it has drawn in the troops to- 
wards Saltillo, and induced vigilance, the military virtue we 
most need. We have at Saltillo and Monterey from 6000 to 
7000 men, with eighteen pieces of field artillery (harnessed); 



472 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

enough to whip anything that can come at this season from 
San Luis. Quitman has about 2000 men, with Bragg' s 
former battery under Thomas, but no cavalry. It is among 
possibilities that they will give him a touch from Tula ; but 
I doubt it, as they cannot bring artillery through the pass. 
We shall lose no time in joining him, expecting to reach 
Linares on the 28th, and Victoria, I suppose, in six or seven 
days after. We have General T^viggs' Division, say 1500 
strong, with Ringgold's Battery — all in excellent condition, 
and one squadron of dragoons to execute some recounois- 
sances in the mountains. 

We have received indications of peace from several differ- 
ent quarters, and if " coming events cast their shadows be- 
fore," it may come, quien sabe f 

This is a delightful region, abounding in sugar and the 
best oranges I ever saw. In Victoria, we hear, they are still 
better. Though more than fifty miles from Monterey, we 
have the Saddle Mountain distinctly in view. 

The 4th is the garrison of the citadel at Monterey. Col. 
Whistler is in immediate command, while Col. Garland is 
Governor of the town. 

Our General, quite well, desires his regards to yourself and 
General Patterson, in which I beg to join. Hoping to meet 
you soon, I remain, most truly Yours. 

W. W. S. Bliss. 



Camp near Victoria, January 5, 1847. 

My dear M : I am happy to inform you that 

our column arrived here at two o'clock p. M., yesterday ; 
General Taylor, with Twdggs' Brigade, having entered the 
town about four hours before us. General T., as I in- 
formed you, marched from Monterey with Twiggs' Brigade 
of Regulars, and Quitman's Brigade of Volunteers, on 
the 13th December, and on his arrival at Monte-Morel os 
on the 17th, received a despatch from General Worth, 
Baying that Santa Ana was advancing on him at Saltillo 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 473 

with 25,000 or 30,000 men. He accordingly returned 
with the Reguhirs, and directed Quitman to proceed to 
this point with the Vokinteers, at the same time sending a 
despatch to General Patterson, to observe the enemy in 
tlie direction of Tula, and drive him back, if accessible. 
This news hurried us on, as Quitman, who would be in 
advance of us at this point, might be exposed. General 
Taylor marched back to Monterey, and then bach again 
hither. 

It now appears that Worth's cry of wolf was precipitate 
— the best information we have, being that Santa Ana is 
still at San Luis ; though Worth has a second time re- 
ported the advance of the Mexicans. The result of all is, 
as I have stated. I don't know when I have been more 
delighted than I was last evening on riding into General 
Taylor's camp, (near a mile from our own,) where I met 
all my old friends, the Regulars. I felt as if I had got 
home after a long absence. I found them all in fine 
health after a march of twenty days. 

We are in the region of oranges and sugar-cane ; there 
is enough, all through this country, of the very finest 
oranges I ever ate, to supply the whole army ; and they 
are eaten in hundreds of thousands. 

The town of Victoria is about seven miles from the 
foot of the Sierra Madre, whose lofty summits are clothed 
with mist. The sun at noon has all the potency common 
in this latitude, while the nights are uncomfortably cool. 

What stay we shall make here, or what our next move- 
ments may be, I cannot tell you. General Taylor has 
arranged his plans ; but learning that Scott is in the coun- 
try and about to undertake different enterprises, he hourly 
expects orders from that officer, which will change his 
own. General Taylor has been badly treated in this mat- 
ter, and he feels it sensibly. 

We learn that the IMexican Congress is rather at logger- 
40* 



474 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

heads on the question of the election of President; but 
the common o^^inion is that Santa Ana will be the success- 
ful candidate. It is said that he has sent five thoiLsand 
men to the city to arrange that business with his friends 
in Congress. 

I am compelled to break ofP a scrawl I hardly know of 
what ; so good-bye. I will add a line or two when an 
express is to be sent off. 

Wednesday Evening, Jan. 6. 

General Taylor has just sent an orderly to inform us 
that he will send off an express in the morning ; so I will 
add a few lines, but can give you nothing further as to 
our movements. No news yet from General Scott, though 
we are in hourly expectation. 

We had rather a hard march hither from Matamoras ; 
eighteen to twenty-six miles a day, frequently without 
water; and the water was at some of the halting-places bad 
enough — a mere pond, surrounded by thousands of horses 
and mules running at large, and consequently about the 
color and thickness of chocolate. The brigade had been di- 
vided into two columns, a day apart. On the direct route 
from Santa Teresa to San Fernando, about forty-two miles, 
there is no water ; though by taking a route a few miles 
further south, there is a pond about half-way. This our 
guide took us to ; but the rear column by some negligence 
took the direct road instead of following our trail, and 
were compelled to go through to San Fernando without 
water. They got in about ten A. M. on the second day, 
pretty well worn out. Here we were detained two days, 
cutting down the steep banks of the river San Fernando, 
to get our wagons over. We made the whole distance to 
this place, about two hundred miles, in twelve marching 
days. 

It has been exceedingly warm all day, and the wind has 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 475 

just shifted to the north. I dread the thought of these 
Northers ; they go through and through one. I must pre- 
pare for a cohl and blustering night. Please forward this 
to our father. Adieu. 



Steamer Alabama, off Anton Lizardo, ] 
March 7, 1847. j 

My dear M : I wrote to you just before we left 

Tampico, whence we sailed on the first instant, and arrived 
here on the morning of the fifth. Our fleet of transports 
is coming in very well, and when all arrive, we shall 
have about thirteen thousand men, — enough, I hope, to 
take Vera Cruz without a very hard contest. 

Yesterday the General-in-Chief, wdth the Generals of his 
army corps, viz., Twiggs, AYorth, Patterson, Quitman, 
Pillow, and General Totten, of the Engineers, their staffs 
and the engineers, &c., made a reconnoissance in a small 
steamer, along the coast from this point to the town. 
While off the castle, after we had just lunched very com- 
fortably through the hospitality of the naval officer who 
commanded the steamer, our little vessel was saluted by 
the Mexicans with one of their heavy Paixan guns. We 
W'Cre then at the distance of one mile and a half, and the 
shell falling short. Commodore Conner, who was of the 
party, and of course regulating the movements of the boat, 
ordered the steam to be stopped, to the end, as it were, 
to let them have a fair trial of their skill in gunnery. 
We lay thus before the castle until they had fired about 
eight or nine shells, some of them passing some thirty 
feet above our heads and exploding afterwards ; others 
exploding before they reached us, until they began to 
calculate the charge and the length of the fuse with con- 
siderable accuracy, and to scatter the fragments of the 
shell around the boat. The Commodore then in his 



476 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

gentle manner remarked to the General-in-Chief, "that he 
thought we might now proceed/' and the latter assenting, 
we continued our course, followed by three or four parting 
shells. The castle is certainly a very strong work, and I 
doubt very much whether it would be practicable to take 
it with any naval force that we could bring before it. 
Our work must be done with shells, for they have sent 
out no guns of calibre as great as those in the castle. 

Their force is variously estimated, and there is no 
means of ascertaining what numbers we shall have brought 
against us. But about that we do not feel much concern. 

The probability is, that we shall effect a landing to- 
night, opposite the Island of Sacrificios, at a point between 
two and three miles below the town. There is a ridge of 
sand-hills about half a mile from this point, running in 
rear of the town to within the distance of five hundred or 
four hundred yards of it. On this, as our first parallel, 
batteries will be established. 

I am now interrupted by official calls and must leave 
off, but I will endeavor to add something before the mail 
closes. 

P.^. — I have nothing further with respect to our 
movements to add, except that it is decided that we land 
before daylight to-morrow morning. 

We have received a Mexican newspaper containing the 
report of Santa Ana, of an engagement with General 
Taylor, near Agua Nueva (a short distance from Saltillo, 
on the San Luis road). General Taylor has probably some- 
thing less than six thousand men. Santa Ana is reported 
to have had some seventeen thousand. Santa Ana does 
not give his own numbers, but sets down those of General 
Taylor at nine thousand. He says he has lost o^ie thou- 
sand, killed and Avounded, and General Taylor hvo thou- 
sandj and that he (Santa Ana) is compelled to retire for 



I 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. All 

want of bread and rice for his wounded ; ])ut that if he 
gains these, he will return to the charge. They fought, 
he says, all day long on the 22d and 23d ult. ; that he was 
on horseback twelve hours each day, and that his wound 
had given him much trouble. The inference to be drawn 
from all this is, that Old Zacli has flogged him very 
sufficiently ; though, from the disparity of forces and 
of artillery, it is to be supposed, not without severe loss. 
If we say that the Mexicans lost two thousand and our 
troops five hundred, we shall probably come nearer the 
truth. The news has caused much gratulation among our 
old General's friends. 

March 9, 10 o'clock a.m. 

The prospect of a Norther caused the landing to be 
deferred, and we are still on shipboard; — so I have 
broken open my letter to add another line of later date, 
though I can give you nothing of interest beyond what I 
have already done. The anticipated Norther has not 
come, and the surf-boats are now going round to the trans- 
ports and picking up the troops to be transferred to the 
ships of war ; but whether we shall make the descent to- 
day or not, is uncertain. It will depend on circumstances. 
One thing I regret is this : the vessel carrying the horses 
of our division staif has not yet come in. I have two favorite 
horses on board, and feel concern for their welfare ; besides 
that, I am thus thrown ashore on foot, and must trust to 
chance to catch up a horse, if I can. Send this to our 
kind father. Affectionately ever yours. 



Camp Washington, near Vera Cruz, INIarch 13, 1847. 

My dear M : To-day has been comparatively quiet, 

the investment having just been completed, and the enemy 
driven within the walls. But few shots have been fired 
from the town or castle, and no damage done that I have 



478 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

heard of. Our headquarters are now in an old convent In 
rear of the town, and I have a chance to write upon a 
table. 

Our movements I will briefly describe : — We effected a 
landing about three miles below the town on the evening 
of the ninth. The next morning, after General Worth's 
Brigade (which forms our right) had taken its position 
in the line of investment, — which it did after some slight 
skirmishing — three wounded on our part, and some 
greater loss on the part of the enemy, — we commenced 
establishing our Division. The first Brigade (General 
Pillow) advanced into the chaparral, to dislodge the 
enemy, who held the building we now occupy, the maga- 
zine some five hundred yards distant, and the intermediate 
thicket. Here there was some sharp skirmishing, which I 
had the gratification of witnessing, out of the reach of 
shot. The enemy was driven at every point by the 1st 
and 2d Pennsylvania, and 1st and 2d Tennessee Regi- 
ments, who behaved very handsomely, following up 
the Mexicans to the crest of the next sand-hill, whence, 
after a slight resistance they were finally routed and 
driven under the guns of the town. Their loss' was a few 
killed and wounded, the former left on the ground, while 
ours was notking. Thus we gained possession of one half 
the ground we were to occupy. The magazine contained 
a large number of signal rockets, and one hundred and 
twenty boxes of shrapnel shells. 

The next morning the enemy came out to the advanced 
point of our line, and soon our position was saluted with 
shells and eighteen-2:)ounder shot in very considerable num- 
bers. Here, on the open sand-hills, there was a very 
pretty little affair between the enemy and the South Caro- 
lina and part of the Georgia Regiments, which was all in 
open ground like the stage of a theatre ; but here we were 
near enough to have a fair sprinkling of musket-balls 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 479 

and eighteen-pouiider shot. In fifteen minutes the enemy 
was driven ; our loss was, wounded, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Dickinson and five men of the South Carolina Regiment, 
and three men of the Georgia Regiment. The loss of the 
enemy was about double; we gained three horses, esco- 
pitas, and lances, the lancers having fallen. 

Thus we cleared the ground we had to occupy, and 
then came forward General Twiggs' Brigade, which forms 
the left, and extends to the sea on the north of the town, 
as does Worth's on the south. Twiggs gained his posi- 
tion without more than slight skirmishing, as we had 
done before him. His loss was also trifling, and to-day 
the investment is complete, extending between seven and 
eight miles, and enclosing the town. 

To-morrow, at ten o'clock A. M., the several brigades, 
two of the Regular Army and three of Volunteers, com- 
mence a simultaneous movement upon the town, i. e. to 
close up the line ; but I suppose nothing more will be 
done, as we have not yet landed the heavy artillery, and 
cannot expect to make any impression on the town 
without. 

We have had yesterday and to-day a horrid Norther, 
which has made the sand-hills and plains as dreadful as 
those to which Napoleon's troops were exposed in Africa. 
I had to ride some miles yesterday to visit the different 
brigades, through a perfect hurricane of sand ; I could 
scarcely force my horse along, and for the day almost 
lost my eyesight. 

The only thing to-day worthy of note, (excepting that 
they have been amusing themselves by throwing shot and 
shell among us,) is that the navy has allowed a French 
bark to run the blockade, at about one o'clock p. M., 
and safely anchor on the inside of the castle. This is 
the second or third instance of the kind; and the former 
vessels having been laden with arms and munitions of 
war, it is probable that this one is also. 



480 LETTERS FROM TUB FRONTIERS, 

We are lying near enough to the town to see everything 
distmctly with our glasses ; it is walled all round^ a fort at 
the junction of the wall on either side with the sea, and 
four redans intermediate ; the castle and town mount three 
hundred guns of heavy calibre. I can add no more. 



Camp Washington, near Vera Cruz, March 23, 1847. 

My dear Sister : — I avail myself of a moment be- 
fore the sailing of the Princeton steamship, which takes 
Commodore Conner home, (he has been relieved by Com- 
modore Perry,) to tell you of the progress of the siege. 

Having got seven mortars in battery yesterday, at two 
o'clock p. M. General Scott summoneil the town to sur- 
render J saying, that, if that were given up, he would not 
erect any batteries against the castle there in order to 
save the effusion of blood of non-combatants and great 
destruction of property that must ensue. The Com- 
mandant, MoraleSy replied very politely, that he felt in 
honor bound to defend both City and Castle to the last. 

Hereupon our little battery opened its fire upon tlie 
city. (Of fifty mortars and fifty siege-guns ordered here, 
but ten mortars and eight guns have arrived.) This was 
immediately replied to by all the guns of the defence that 
could be brought to bear ; say five to one of ours. The 
navy co-operated by bringing two steamers and four gun- 
boats, in all eight guns, under a point of land in rear of 
our batteries, and firing over the heads of our men into 
the city. This state of things lasted till dark, when the 
navy ceased firing ; and the city only delivered shots at 
long intervals during the night. Our mortar-battery 
kept up a steady fire unceasingly ; every shell, as we could 
perceive from our position which is at right angles with 
the line of fire of the battery, falling into the most im- 
portant parts of the city, and exploding as it fell. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 481 

Our loss up to sundown was but two killed, — one of 
whom, I regret to say, was Captain Yinton of the Artil- 
lery, who had charge of the battery at tlie time, — the 
other was a private. No loss has fallen upon us since. 
The loss of the enemy it is impossible to tell, but our 
shells liave been so rapidly delivered, and with such accu- 
racy all the time, from four p. m. yesterday until seven 
A. M. to-day, (at which time I am writing,) tliat the de- 
struction both of property and life is j^robably great. 

Owing to the want of guns, ours not having arrived, 
we have called on the Navy for a battery of six heavy 
pieces, which is about being completed in front of the 
divisions. Three of the guns were brought up (a dis- 
tance of two or two and a half miles) from the landing 
last evening, with immense labor, through the heavy sands, 
by about one thousand five hundred men. The officers 
and men of the Navy have the privilege of fighting these 
guns, and we have here Captain Aulick, Commander 
McKenzie, and Lieutenant H. IngersoU ; they passed the 
night with our mess, and will sit down to breakfast with 
us in a few moments. Their battery will not be in readi- 
ness to open its fire probably before night. 

ij o'clock A. M., March 23. 

Since the above was written, a Mexican has been taken. 
He left the town at eight o'clock last evening. At that time, 
he said, much damage had already been done ; one officer of 
rank had been severely wounded, and I regret to say some 
of its inhabitants ; the shells penetrating into the houses 
without regard to the character of the tenants ; but that 
cannot be helped. 

The General-in-Chief has prevailed upon Commodore 
Conner to wait a day or t^o, in hopes of sending by him, 
directly, despatches, announcing the fall of the city. Ar.d 
IngersoU, who is with us, tells us it is probable he may 

41 



482 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

return with the Commodore ; I therefore keep my letter 
open to tell you how we get on from time to time^ as I can 
find leisure. Yesterday the firing was kept up on both 
sides with great spirit, but, incredible to say, on our part 
without any loss whatever. It is almost miraculous ; shot 
are flying over our heads, and shells falling in the midst 
of our men, sometimes absolutely burying one or two 
under the sand thrown up, and notwithstanding this, 
not a man has been hurt. The Mexicans are fine artil- 
lerists, and we are now at the game wherein their strength 
lies; but if we are compelled to take the city finally by 
assault, it will then be our turn to show that we are not 
only fine artillerists, but that our men are their superiors 
in all respects. Their loss already must be greatly be- 
yond anything we have yet suffered. 

March 24, 2 o'clock p. m. 

This morning has been calm, and the boats have been 
enabled to land some of the thirteen mortars which had 
reached the harbor on the evening of the 22d. 

The navy battery was got in position and will be cov- 
ered l)y ten o'clock this morning. I had just left them 
when the enemy, having at last discovered what was going 
on, opened their fire, and in a few minutes after, all our 
arrangements having been completed, the fire was returned 
with interest. In a short time their fire (six different 
batteries had opened on ours) slackened; and I could, 
half an hour since, discover with my glass great damage 
done. The Red Barracks, on the right of the St. Bar- 
bara w^ork, were knocked to pieces for twenty-five or 
thirty feet at the west end. The loss on our side was four 
sailors killed and one officer and two sailors wounded. 
The firing is at this moment suspended. The Princeton 
is ordered to sail to-morrow morning; I must therefore 
close my letter to send it on board. Yours, etc. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 483 



Camp Washington, before Vera Cruz, March 28, 1847. 

My dear M : Bien, cest une affaire ! — the crisis 

is past; they have UDConditionally surrendered the City 
and tlie Castle ! I can scarcely realize the thing. We 
had not twenty-five pieces in battery until the last day, 
mortars and battering-pieces ; yet the city with seventy- 
five heavy guns, and the castle with two hundred and 
fifty, in battery, have yielded ; and their garrisons, near 
5000 men, yield themselves prisoners of war. The latter 
are to march out to-morrow at ten o'clock A. M., and lay 
down their arms. One month ago, as we were leaving 
Tampico, the general impression of the officers of the 
army was that we should have a hard struggle, and it was 
not calculated that the reduction of their strong places 
would be effected at a less cost than 2000 men. The God 
of battles has fought with us, for our entire loss does not 
exceed forty men in killed and wounded; whereas the loss 
of the enemy is acknowledged to be very great. The 
destruction of property in the city is excessive; two-thirds 
of the houses are represented to be much shattered. The 
town was fired by our shells many times ; but the roof of 
almost every house is of tiles, so that the conflagration 
did not spread after destroying the interior of the house 
into which the shell had fallen and exploded. But our 
mortar batteries fired so rapidly, that at night you might 
see the shells in a constant stream, following each other 
into the devoted place ; and as. they fell, crash after crash 
indicated the certain and constant work of destruction. 
Men were dashed to pieces while the surgeons were dress- 
ing their wounds; numbers were left howling where they 
fell. And no retreat was a shelter from this horrid shower 
of bursting shells. Their yells and screams were heard by 
ourselves and by our people from one end of the town to 
the other. Alas! many poor inoffensive creatures suffered 



484 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

with the combatants in this indiscriminate slaughter; and 
it is grievous, indeed, to relate, that a young lady, the 
daughter of the British Consul, was killed by a shell that 
struck liis house. I am told that he says he blames no one 
but himself. He should have left the city, as almost all 
the families did ; but he believed his house bomb-proof. 

Our batteries were at work but three days and a half; 
but the troops, while completing the investment of the 
city, and while advancing our own works, were almost 
constantly by day, and occasionally by night, under the 
fire of the enemy's guns for seventeen days. None of our 
camps except perhaps General Scott's Headquarters, which 
also was now and then reached, were out of the range of 
their guns, and the only thing to be wondered at, is the 
trifling loss we sustained. I have repeatedly seen an 
eighteen-pounder shot strike in the midst of a dozen or 
twenty men without injuring one of them. This kind of 
thing did occur so often at all points of our line, that it is 
scarcely credible to those who were standing by, and is a 
frequent subject of conversation among all ranks. 

An expedition, land and naval, sets out on the 30th 
against Alvarado, that much abused place. Brig.-General 
Quitman, of this division, goes by land ; who is to com- 
mand the naval force, I have not yet learned. A portion 
of the forces will also march towards the interior as soon 
as the means of transporting ammunition and provisions 
can be collected. It is now tliought that General Taylor's 
victory, and the fall of this place, will induce the towns 
on our march to the city of Mexico, to open their gates 
as we approach. 

I have seized a moment almost every day to scratch off 
a line or two to you, as I supposed you would feel an 
interest in our operations. 

I have only to add that I am quite well, and ready for 
anything that may turn up. Adieu. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 485 

[N.B. — The health of the writer having been greatly im- 
paired, he was recommended by a Board of Surgeons to cross 
the water and place himself under care of Sir Benjamin 
Brodie. Having remained abroad one year, he, on his return, 
rejDorted for duty, and received the following order.] 

Special Orders, ] 

N°- 69- i [EXTRACT.] 

Headquarters of the Army, New York, Nov. 8, 1849. 

1. Having reported for duty. Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel 
George A. McCall, Major 3d Infantry, will take the first 
suitable opportunity to proceed to Santa Fe, New Mexico, 
and there report for duty with his regiment, to the command- 
ing officer of the Ninth Military Department. 

By command of Major-Genl. Scott. 

Irwin McDowell, 
Asd. Adjt. General. 

[A few days after the foregoing order came to hand, the 
following letter from the Secretary of War was received.] 

War Department, Washington, Nov. 12, 1849. 

Sir: — By a recent order from general headquarters, I am 
informed that, having reported for duty, you have been 
ordered to your regiment in New Mexico. I desire, before 
you proceed to join your command, that you will do me the 
favor to pass through or come to Washington, where I hope 
to have an interview with you. Your obedient servant, 

Geo. W. Craw^ford, 
Secretary 0/ War, 
Brevet Lt.-Col. Geo. A. McCall, 

Philadelphia. 

[After a personal interview with the Secretary at Washing- 
ton, the writer returned to Philadelphia for his trajos, and on 
receipt of his written instructions, of which the following is 
an extract, immediately set out in obedience thereto.] 
41* 



486 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 



War Department, Washington, Nov. i8, 1849. 

Sir: — As you are about to join your regimeut now on 
duty in New Mexico, it has occurred to me as proper to make 
some observations on the peculiar condition of that and 
another territory of the United States. 

The Constitution of the United States and the late treaty 
with Mexico, guarantee their admission into the Union of 
our States, subject only to the judgment of Congress. Should 
the people of New Mexico wish to take any steps towards 
this object so important and necessary to themselves, it will 
be your duty, aud the duty of others with whom you are 
associated, not to thwart but advance their wishes. It is 
their right to appear before Congress and ask for admission 
into the Union. Other and complicated questions may arise 
which are considered as merged in this essential right of these 
people, and for the decision of which we must look beyond 
the authority of the Executive, &c., &c., &c 

It will be instructive (and probably necessary information, 
when the people of New Mexico form a constitution and seek 
admission into the Confederacy of the States,) to have your 
observations and views on their probable numbers, habits, 
customs, and pursuits of life. I have the honor to be, 
Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Geo. W. Crawford, Sec. of War. 
Brev. Lt.-Col. McCall, Philadelphia, Pa. 

[At Mobile, on his way to New Orleans, the writer was 
quite ill, and w^as detained there several weeks. On arriving 
in the latter city, he took the first steamer for Matagorda 
Bay, where the military depots for the troops of Eastern 
Texas are established. Thence by land to San Antonio, 
where he arrived December olst.] 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 487 

San Antonio, January lo, 1850. 

My dear M : I wrote you twice from New 

Orleans, whence I sailed on the 19th ult. On the 23d I 
landed at Indian Point, Matagorda Bay, the Military 
Depot for this section of the frontier of Texas. Here I 
got from the Quartermaster a pair of mules for a light 
wagon, which I had brought over from New Orleans, and 
the next morning started for this place, a distance of one 
hundred and fifty-five miles. The road in part was heavy 
and the mules not very good, as the Quartermaster had 
two days before sent off a train of wagons with his best 
animals. As I had bought in New Orleans a fine 
Kentucky blooded horse, and as I purposed travelling 
chiefly in the saddle, I had in my wagon only my servant 
and luggage; but the Paymaster who was travelling with 
me had two wagons loaded with specie, and we could not 
make very well more than twenty or twenty-five miles a 
day. We w^ere in consequence seven days on the road. 
We encamped at night by the road-side, and I slept 
generally very comfortably, although greatly reduced by 
illness. 

On the way I killed a grouse and a very fine deer with 
my rifle, which furnished our mess. I scarcely ever saw 
fatter or more delicious venison. AYe had one Norther on 
the march, which lasted tw^o days and a night, and coming 
after a day or tw^o of warm weather, made us feel the keen- 
ness of its blast. 

On arriving here on New Year's eve, I found General 
Brooke and General Garland, also General Harney who 
had come from Austin to pass the New Year's time ; as 
well as many of my old associates. 

The accounts of the grass on the prairies between here 
and El Paso, are not very favorable, and it was decided 
to mount the Dragoons for my escort on mules, as horses 



488 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

would scarcely be able to make the journey at this sea- 
son. A good deal of delay has consequently taken place 
in getting together the mules, &c., for the expedition ; but 
I am in hopes of getting off in a very few days. We 
are compelled to carry some corn, for there are portions 
of the route in which no grass at all can be expected at 
this season. 

The distance to El Paso, as measured by the Odometer 
(an instrument attaclied to a carriage, which counts the 
revolutions of the wheels, and so measures with a good 
deal of accuracy the road travelled") carried by the Engi- 
neer party which went over with the Battalion of the 3d 
Regiment, is six hundred and seventy-three miles. From 
El Paso to Santa Fe, the estimate is three hundred and 
eighty ; making in all from this station, one thousand and 
fifty-three miles. 

As the days are short, and time must be allowed the 
mules to graze, it is not thought by the officers who have 
been over the road during the fall, and by the frontier men, 
that I can reach El Paso in less than thirty-five to forty 
days. 

A merchant from the latter place has just come in ; he 
left the pass on the tenth of November. He carried corn 
for his animals a good part of the route, yet he left many 
by the way. 

I was disappointed in the appearance of the town of 
San Antonio ; it is in a flat vale upon the borders of the 
river of the same name, which gushes from a swell of land 
(limestone) about seven miles distant, at once almost 
large enough to be dignified with the title of river. 
Several other large gushes of water near its course, in 
the distance of three miles, entitle it fairly to that dis- 
tinction. 

The houses are generally one-story, adobe (large sunburnt 
brick) structures in the Spanish, or rather degenerate 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 489 

Spanish (Mexican) style of architecture; flat roofs and 
clay floors. The officers stationed here have difficulty 
m getting accommodations for their families ; and have 
to put floors, &c., at their own expense. I have been 
living at a very good boarding-house, where the General 
was kind enouo;h to secure me a seat at the table. The 
common hotels are bad enough. 

Tell Blue that many inquiries have been made after 
his welfare, and many regrets that he did not come on. 
But the journey would have been a hard one for him. 
The horse I got in New Orleans has already proved his 
excellence, and I shall try hard to get him through alive. 

On the 8th, a ball was given to the military by the 
towns-people, and was a very creditable affair. Some 
eighty or more ladies were present, principally Mexicans, 
(for this you know was an old ^lexican settlement,) and 
some of them very pretty women. The supper was quite 
a stylish affair. I will not close my letter until I am 
about to put foot in stirrup, and strike into the almost 
boundless waste. 

February i, 1850. 

Here I have been for a month, in daily expectation of 
setting out on my expedition ; but a number of things I 
cannot enumerate have contributed, each in turn, to add 
to the detention. I am quite ashamed to think I have 
let so much time pass without writing or sending off* my 
letter, but so it has been; every day I thought would 
enable me to say I am off* at last. To-morrow morning 
I set out. Lieutenants Barton and Marshall of my Regi- 
ment (from West Point in July last) have just arrived, 
and go with me. I have been waiting for them for the 
last ten days. 



490 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Crossing of the Pecos River, 320 miles from San Antonio. ^ 
February 19, 1850. J 

My dear M : I send back some men from this 

point, and by them this to inform you of my progress 
thus far. We have had some severe Northers and sud- 
den changes of weather, but I have always been up at 
four o'clock in the morning, and in the saddle as soon as 
it was light enough to see the road. To-day has been 
pleasant, and favored our crossing the river, which is of 
swimming depth. To show you something of the climate 
in this mountain region, I refer to my Journal, and find 
on the 17th at 6 o'clock A. M., that is, as soon as it was 
light enough to count the degrees, at 28°, and at 2 p. M. 
at 76° ; making a change of temperature of 48° in about 
eight hours. On the 8th inst., the thermometer stood at 
6 A. M. at 20°, and at 3 p. m. at 73° ; making a difference 
of 53° in nine hours. This morning at 6 A. M. the mer- 
cury was at 22°, and at this hour, 11a. m., bids fair to 
reach the highest point attained. 

We have had abundance of game hitherto, but now we 
go into a desolate mountain land, where I am told there 
is no game at all. 

I could tell you many incidents of the march, but 
must defer it till I have more time. Everything is across 
the river, and I have ordered the men to saddle up, as I 
must go some miles to find a little grass. Therefore I 
have no time to say more. Affectionately, &c. 



Santa Fe, March 12, 1850. 

My dear M : I arrived here last evening after 

sunset; having left San Antonio on the 2d of February. 
Altogether, I have had a very successful journey. Through 
Northers, snow-storms, and every imaginable change of 
weather ; through the regular vicissitudes of the latitude 



d 



BY GEORGE A. MgCALL. 491 

and altitude ; and through all the incalculable vagaries of 
a nondescript, heterogeneous climate, — through everything 
but a " wet Norther ^' I have come favored greatly. I 
have not lost a man, or a horse, or a mule. But I did 
not encounter a " wet Norther,^' I am thankful to say, or 
I might have lost half or all my mules, and have been 
compelled to close the tramp on foot. In a ivet Norther , 
I am told by those who have experienced them, the mule 
appears to suddenly collapse, and that at the small of the 
back you may almost make your thumb and forefinger 
meet around the backbone of the animal. The sleet 
encases the mule entirely with a thin coat of ice ; and if 
he lies down he never rises again, — nor will any means 
employed by his teamster induce him to make the effort to 
do so. Aubry, a dashing, gallant fellow who followed a 
few Aveeks after my party, told me he was caught by one 
at " Eagle Spring.'' He had a large train of merchandise, 
and among other things, several barrels of brandy and 
whisky. When the wet Norther came on he kept his 
train in motion until he reached the timber around the 
spring. Here the idea occurred to him that his mules 
might be saved by giving those who seemed to be most 
likely to succumb, as much whisky as they would take 
from a bucket set before them. He told me these mules 
took from a pint to a quart, and many of them that he 
had regarded as lost, recovered. He said that one mule 
continued to drink after he thought it had enough, and 
would not relinquish the bucket when he wished to take 
it away. He continued : '^ I Avas curious to see how 
much the beast Avould take, and I looked on with amaze- 
ment till he emptied the bucket, which contained more 
than a gallon. Immediately after this he lay doAvn and 
at once fell asleep ; from that sleep he never awoke." 
Lieutenant Marcy, in October previous, on his return 
across the plains to Fort Smith, Arkansas, lost forty-five 
mules in one night, by one of these Northers. 



492 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

The evening of my arrival, and within a few hours, I 
opened to some of the leading men the object of my mis- 
sion, and enlisted them in the cause I desired to advance* 
I met w^itli success in this matter also, and the matter met 
with the approval of the proper authorities at Washing- 
ton. Adieu. 



Santa Fe, May 13, 1850. 

My DEAR M : We have had no new^s from the 

United States since the 15th of last month. High w^aters 
on the Arkansas River, or some of the numerous streams 
on the route, are supposed to be the cause of it. 

I am getting very tired of Santa Fe. There is nothing 
in the town to interest or divert the mind : the country 
around has still less attraction ; no beauty of scenery, no 
game, absolutely nothing but sand-hills and snow-covered 
mountains. The town is built at the foot of a range of 
steep mountains (on the east), and they have been covered 
with ice and snow ever since I have been here. We have 
had on an average, every third day, a hail -storm or a 
snow-storm, and in the intervals high and chilling winds. 
Last night. May 12th, there was a heavy fall of snow, and 
this morning it continued to fall till seven o'clock. On 
going out to breakfast, I found the cedars with their 
branches loaded down, looking like huge snow-balls. 

The sun peeped out for an hour about noon ; but at two 
o'clock P.M. we had quite a refreshing hail-storm, which 
lasted for an hour. To judge of the climate from what I 
have seen, I should say it could not be surpassed in its 
own peculiar style ; but the level of the town is 7400 feet 
above that of the sea ; and it is enclosed at a less or 
greater distance by mountains from 1500 to 3000 feet 
higher than itself; therefore, as we may suppose, the sum- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 493 

mers, about ten days before the middle of August, are by 
no means oppressive. Consequently, having accomplished 
the principal object for which I came, I have no objection to 
a change of quarters ; and more especially as it is the very 
place of all others for neuralgia. The disease is indigenous : 
numbers are suifering more or less. I thought while I 
was in the more southern country, I was getting rid of 
the tormentor for good and all, but it has appeared again. 
I write now by a gentleman, who with a party of about 
twenty men leaves here to-morrow, with the purpose of 
pushing on to Independence in twenty-five days. In the 
course of a w^eek or more perhaps, our regular express will 
be dispatched, when I will write you again. Yours, &c. 



Santa Fe, May i8, 1850. 

My dear M : Yesterday and to-day have been 

the only summer-like days we have had this season ; still 
the highest of the peaks, a few miles to the east of the 
town, are white with snow. 

Mr. Aubry, a merchant of this place, who left San An- 
tonio, Texas, on the 28th of February last, arrived here a 
fortnight since, with a wagon-train of goods. He was 
not so fortunate as myself in having fine weather. On 
the 26th March, at the " Eagle Spring," in the Apache 
Mountains, he was caught in a IN^orther or snow-storm, 
and of two hundred mules he lost forty-five during the 
night — frozen to death. 

Wednesday, 22d. 

On Monday morning, just as the express for the United 
States was about to start, we received from Las Vegas (the 
most eastern military post, seventy-five miles distant), 
information that the express party from the United States 
had been cut off by Indians at La Clara Spring, forty 

42 



494 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

miles east of Vegas. The whole party, consisting of 
eleven, were killed, and the letters scattered to the winds. 
In this sad state things were found by Mr. Lee, who with a 
party of twenty-five citizens left here on the 13th, and by 
whom I wrote to you as I have already mentioned. The 
destruction of the party had occurred seven or eight days 
before he arrived on the ground, and as they judged 
from appearances, by a large body of Indians. Mr. Lee 
collected all the scattered letters to be found, and returned 
to Barclay's fort, a trading establishment, between the 
Spring and Vegas, where he intends waiting for an in- 
crease of his party. We got what was saved of the mail 
last night, and I had the pleasure to receive your two let- 
ters of the 3d and 9th of March. Adieu. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 495 

Santa Fe, June ii, 1850. 

My dear M : Since I wrote you last we have had 

more pleasant Aveather, though the mountains all around 
have still much snow on their pointed summits. The cli- 
mate here is extremely variable ; we have a few delicious 
days, but many that are uncomfortable. This morn- 
ing until twelve o'clock I had fire in my sitting-room. 
I have taken quarters with a Mexican family, one of the 
best in the city, that of Don Juan Sena. I have an ante- 
room, chamber, and servant's room communicating with 
each other all on the same floor, that is the ground floor, 
as there are no houses here of more than one story. I 
thought I would try the effect of Mexican diet on neural- 
gia ; and I of course take at each meal a good dose of Chile 
Colorado and Ajo, but I do not dislike some of their dishes, 
though boiled and stewed meats, varied in diflerent ways, 
constitute chiefly the courses. We begin to get some fresh 
vegetables ; frejoles, however, are a standing dish, and I And 
them well cooked here. I breakfast alone ; at dinner I have 
the company of Don Juan, and occasionally a friend. It 
is the Mexican custom for the ladies and gentlemen to eat 
separately; here I have never seen the latter at table. 
Yours, &c. 



Report to the Secretary of War. 

Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 15, 1850. 

Sir: — Since my arrival in New Mexico, having kept 
in view the instructions with which I was honored, con- 
tained in your letter of November 19, 1849, to wit: ^'It 
will be instructive and probably necessary information, 
when the people of New Mexico form a constitution and 
seek admission into the Confederacy of the States, to have 



496 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

your observations and views on their probable numbers, 
habits, customs, and pursuits of life ; " and the people of 
New Mexico having formed and adopted a State consti- 
tution, and transmitted it to the Executive, to be laid 
before the Congress of the United States, I have now to 
submit, in compliance v/ith your instructions, a few re- 
marks, the result of much inquiry, and of such personal 
observation as could be made while in the regular dis- 
charge of military duties. 

First. The population of New Mexico is, I am satis- 
fied, less than it has been represented. 

According to the statistics presented by Governor Mar- 
tinez, at the division of the Department of New Mexico 
into districts, in the year 1844, the population, including 
the Pueblos or civilized Indians, amounted to one hun- 
dred thousand. 

If at the period alluded to, the number of inhabitants 
was not overrated, which is more than probable, it has 
certainly since then diminished in a most unaccountable 
manner. I have taken pains to ascertain the number of 
Mexicans, residents of this Department, who at the time 
of its cession to the United States declared their adhesion 
to the republic of Mexico ; and of these, how many after- 
wards withdrew their declaration and remained here, and 
how many actually left our territory ; and of the latter, 
how many have since returned to make it their permanent 
home; and I am satisfied that the loss in numbers does 
not exceed one thousand, or, at the most, twelve hundred 
souls. In addition to those above mentioned, a few men 
of wealth, with their peons, have within the past year 
removed to Guadalupe, a settlement on the right bank 
of the Rio Grande, twenty-five miles below El Paso del 
Norte, where inducements have been held out by the 
Mexican government to bring over to their side the rich 
and better class of people. The numerical loss thus sus- 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 497 

tained is scarcely appreciable. In fact, there is no known 
cause that could have materially reduced the population 
of New Mexico within the last six years ; yet from posi- 
tive data, it is very clear that it does not now amount to 
the number above stated. 

Where but little is known, and where, in seeking that 
little, conflicting statements are frequently encountered, 
it is no easy matter to arrive at the truth ; therefore, I 
will not venture the assertion that the population of New 
Mexico, at the present time, greatly exceeds the quota 
required to give one seat in the House of Representatives 
of the United States ; and, indeed, so great a portion of 
the face of the country is made up of rugged mountains 
and waste plains, that it cannot be expected soon, if ever, 
to receive and support a population in numbers and wealth 
at all proportioned to its extent of territory. 

Besides the native Mexicans, the present population 
includes, of persons born in the United States and in 
Europe, who have become citizens of the State, at the 
extent twelve hundred. And of the natives, besides 
those whom strictly speaking we call Mexicans, there is 
another distinct and numerous class which seems to invite 
particular attention. T mean the Pueblo Indians. 

Having embraced Christianity under the Spanish rule, 
the Pueblos were admitted to the rights of citizenship by 
the Mexican government under Iturbide ; and these rights, 
which they have enjoyed to the present time, (at least in 
name,) are confirmed to them by the State constitution. 
Under this they are subject to taxation (by legislation) in 
common with other inhabitants. It is to be hoped, how- 
ever, the legislature will, in its wisdom, adopt a mild 
and conciliatory policy towards these people. Under 
the present change of government, the impressions first 
made it will be difficult to remove from their minds ; and 
dissatisfaction produced at the outset, may ultimately 
42* 2G 



498 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

lead to more serious results than would at first glance 
appear. To explain this, it will be necessary to state in 
what way the Pueblos may be made an element of much 
good or evil to the State. These Indians still carry on 
an occasional traffic, and are careful to maintain a good 
understanding with the wild Indians. Not only, then, 
may their influence be used to advantage in controlling, 
and, indeed, in reclaiming, several of the least savage of 
these tribes; but if at any time the United States find it 
necessary to chastise an open declaration of hostilities by 
several of the border tribes, — a thing not impossible, 
when a decided effort to restrain their predatory habits 
comes to be made, — they will find valuable auxiliaries in 
the Pueblos, who count at least twenty-five hundred war- 
riors. On the other hand, should the latter from any 
cause become dissatisfied, either from what they might 
conceive to be the oppressive bearing of a law of the 
State, or its maladministration by the petty authorities, 
(for they still look upon the Mexicans with distrust,) it 
would be easy for their parties at different points to unite 
with the enemy for marauds or for battle without fear of 
detection. 

They have twenty towns or settlements, which contain 
at least two thousand four hundred families. These, at 
the moderate computation of four to each family, give a 
total of nine thousand six hundred souls ; but they prob- 
ably exceed ten thousand. Each town is a distinct com- 
munity, having its gubernador, or chief, and council ; 
and each community (as a corj)oration) owns the soil it 
cultivates. This, a grant from the Spanish crown, is em- 
braced within a circle \vhose radius is a league — the town 
its centre. The Pueblos are intelligent, moral, sober, and 
industrious; and, generally speaking, they are better off 
than the lower class of Mexicans. Many of them in each 
town speak the Spanish intelligibly, and some of the 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 409 

principal men read and even write the language as far 
as is required in their simple business transactions. 

The ^^ habits and customs" of the Mexican portion of 
the inhabitants do not differ materially from those of 
Mexicans elsewhere; yet, in some particulars, changes, 
the effect of intercourse with our people, have already 
begun to show themselves. An impression has been made, 
and perhaps the first step towards better things has al- 
ready been accomplished. Here, in Santa F^, the dimi- 
nution of filth in the streets, and the improved dress and 
personal cleanliness of the people, together with the 
cloaking of immorality, sliow that precept and example 
are not altogether thrown away upon them. 

The number who are of Spanish blood, unmixed, is 
small : in the mass, that of the Indian predominates, — so 
in the mass the character and disposition of the latter are 
to a greater or less degree inherited. This is evinced in 
more than one trait ; but it is sufficient to cite their ex- 
treme aversion to continued labor. If a Mexican has 
not inextricably involved himself as the debtor of his 
employer, and, through the action of the law (Mexican) 
against debtors, become a peon for life, it is with difficulty 
he can be kept at work longer than is requisite to earn a 
few dollars ; and while this lasts, he indulges to the full 
the luxury of lounging away the hours of the day with 
his cirjariio, and perhaps the evening in the more exciting 
amusements of the fandango and the monte-table; nor 
does he resume his task until compelled by want. Being 
moderate in his appetites, he requires but little to subsist 
on, and therefore is constrained to labor but little. 

The lower class are as ignorant as idle; and even 
among their superiors education is wofully neglected. 
From this it may be inferred that no great improvement 
in the moral condition of the present generation can be 
expected from the introduction of our institutions, which 



500 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

they can neither understand nor appreciate. It is to the 
coming generation we must look for this ; and therefore 
the introduction of primary schools at as early a day as 
practicable, is a consideration of much interest. 

Of their ^' pursuits of life," their manufactures, per- 
haps, stand lowest on the scale : they are certainly primi- 
tive in their character. Yet this is not so much to be 
attributed to a deficiency of aptness and manual skill or 
dexterity, as to the want of proper instruction and better 
models, with more continued and systematic application. 
Gradual improvement in this branch may, therefore, be 
looked for, if their natural indolence can be overcome, 
or their love of gain be stimulated through the influence 
of our own enterprising countrymen. The establishment 
of manufactories would do much to accomplish both, and, 
by fixing the price of labor at a fair rate, would probably 
prove to be the greatest lever that could be used in over- 
turning the present system of peonage. 

The cheapness of wool (which in time will be im- 
proved in quality, as well as reduced in price) will at 
once lead to the erection of factories for making carpets, 
blankets, and the coarser cloths ; and they will not only 
supply the wants of the State itself, but to some extent 
the adjoining departments of Mexico. These fabrics will 
likewise eventually become important articles of traffic 
with the large tribes of mountain and prairie Indians. 
The coarse woollens, if with the exception of the head 
workmen, Mexican operatives can be used, may be af- 
forded here at prices to preclude competition ; for, inde- 
pendently of the cost of transportation, the price of wool 
and the price of labor are here from one-third to one- 
half less than in the United States. 

To a moderate extent iron works may also be profitably 
established. Iron is abundant and of fair quality, as is 
the coal, which is more or less bituminous, and will answer 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 501 

to reduce the ore. Tlie heavy cost of transportation 
from the United States will, it is probable, soon call at- 
tention to this subject. 

At present but little attention is paid to mining, for 
two reasons, — a want of capital, if not a want of enter- 
prise among the people, — and an inherent fear of " /os 
Indios.^' There is, however, reason to believe that the 
mines may hereafter become the principal source of wealth 
to the State. The mines of New Mexico have always 
been represented as rich in gold, and immensely produc- 
tive to the Spaniards, until repeated incursions of hostile 
Indians caused them to be abandoned. The localities of 
these mines are at this time for the greater part unknown ; 
the wild tribes who inhabit the supposed gold regions 
having prevented their exploration. And for the same 
reason, under present circumstances, their exploration is 
beyond the reach of private enterprise. Notliing, there- 
fore, can be satisfactorily known of the richness or poverty 
of the State in this respect, until its vast mountain 
regions are thoroughly and scientifically explored. With 
this view, it would be well If a topographical engineer 
were associated with an able, practical geologist, in order 
that the Government might receive full reports, with accu- 
rate maps, both geographical and geological, of the whole 
country. For this purpose there would be required a 
military escort of sufficient strength to enable the party 
to push Its examinations to the most remote parts of the 
State, now the constant haunts of Indians. 

Formerly, of the profitable pursuits of Ncav Mexico, 
^^ stock-raising^^ stood high upon the list, and although 
now sadly reduced by the continued inroads of the Na- 
vajoes and Apaches, it will again, when protected from 
their marauds, yield large profits to the proprietors. 
There are in New Mexico grazing lands of great extent, 
where countless flocks and herds may be reared at a very 



502 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

trifling expense. They require neither stabling nor forage 
during the winter; the nutritious " gramiyia/^ a species 
of grass found on the mountain-sides and the adjoining 
uplands, affording abundant sustenance during that sea- 
son. The climate, too, is well adapted to all kinds of 
stock, particularly sheep, which, owing to the dryness 
of the atmosphere, are almost exempt from "7'ot/^ and 
other diseases common to low countries. Some twenty 
or five-and-twenty years ago, before the hand of the red 
man had fallen so heavily upon them, the people of this 
State, as well as Chihuahua, sent annually to the city of 
Mexico vast numbers of sheep,* as well as cattle and 
mules. At this day not one thousand are sent from dis- 
tricts that formerly furnished their hundreds of thou- 
sands, such has been the rapacity and the relentless spirit 
of hostility of the Navajoes and Apaches. 

The hill-sides and the plains, that were in days past 
covered with sheep and cattle, are now bare in many j^arts 
of the State; yet the work of plunder still goes on. The 
predatory operations of the two tribes just mentioned are 
even now carried on in the close vicinity of our military 
posts; the shepherds are pounced upon and shot with 
arrow^s to prevent their carrying information, and with 
their spoil the Indians dash at speed to the mountains, 
and are beyond reach before the loss is known. In this 
way they (I mean now the Apaches only) run the flocks 
from seventy to one hundred miles in twenty-four hours. 
And, consequently, out of ten thousand sheep that may be 
started, probably not more than one thousand will reach 
their destination. As the over-driven animals faulter 
from exhaustion, those that do not fall dead by the Avay- 
side are lanced, as the Indians pass, to prevent their fall- 

* The Chavez connection, consisting of three or four families, resid- 
ing below Albuquerque, are known to have sent as many as two hun- 
dred thousand sheep to the city in one year. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 503 

ing again into the hands of the Mexicans. Thus the 
destruction is usually tenfold the gain of the Indians. The 
Apaclie is satisfied with that, because all his care is to 
supply his present wants. The more provident Navajo is 
more careful, because his principal object is to increase his 
stock at home. Within no more than three months past, 
between fifteen and twenty thousand sheep and several 
hundred head of cattle and mules have been driven from 
the Rio Grande, above Socorro, and from the vicinity of 
Yegas, and several shepherds killed, with entire impunity, 
by the two tribes already named.* They were on several 
occasions pursued by the troops, but without success. 

It is only necessary to free the mountains bounding the 
valley of the Rio Grande from the incursions of these 
Indians, in order to increase again in a few years the stock 
to its former numbers ; then wool of improved quality, 
besides supplying the home consumption, would be sent 
to Missouri, and bring large returns ; and horned cattle, 
mules, &c., raised at little or no expense, would secure 
large profits at the same market. 

I place agriculture last, or as the least productive of 
wealth of the three principal industrial pursuits of New 
Mexico, viz., mining, stock-raising, and agriculture; but 
I do so rather in reference to the past history and the 
future prospects of the State than its present circum- 
stances. Formerly, under the Spanish government, mi'nes 
were the most productive of wealth ; towards the close of 
that era, and during the early period of the independence 
of Mexico, the immense droves of horses and mules, the 
herds and flocks which covered the face of the country, 
constituted the chief riches of this department. Of both 
these, in succession, the inhabitants of New Mexico have 

* Since the above was written, an official report has been received 
that a flock of sixteen thousand had been carried ofl" from Puerco, 
opposite Cibollctta. 



504 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

been despoiled by their more warlike borderers, and there- 
fore at this day their soil is almost all that remains to 
them. Its produce, through sufferance of the Indians,* 
has saved them from starvation during the infliction of 
a twofold scourge; but it has not, nor will it ever 
make them rich : such is the history of the past and the 
present. 

The future of New Mexico, it is to be hoped, will dis- 
close another picture : the Indians subdued ; the hill-sides 
white with flocks ; and the neglected mines again yielding 
up their hoards of the precious metals ; and then the culti- 
vation of the soil, although I believe it will always supply 
the wants of the inhabitants, will be productive of less 
wealth to the State than either of the other pursuits ; 
because, were its products ten times what they ever can be, 
the isolated position of the State, and its entire want of the 
common requisite facilities of transportation, either by 
water communication or otherwise, would render the pro- 
ducts of agriculture, in whatever excess above the home 
consumption, unavailable for exportation. And here it 
may not be inappropriate to give the opinion of many 
persons here with whom I have conversed respecting the 
navigableness of the Rio Grande. Although no accurate 
knowledge is professed to have been derived from close 
examinations of the great bend of the Jornada, yet its 
course has, with extreme difficulty, been followed through- 
out, over steep mountains and rugged cliifs that overhang 
the water ; and judging from the appearance of the river 
in its rapid and irregular descent through this pass, a dis- 
tance of near one hundred and fifty miles, the opinion 
entertained was very decided that loaded boats would not 
be able to make the passage in safety even at the highest 

* The Navajoes said, on a recent occasion, that their only reason for 
not exterminating the New Mexicans long ago was, that it was their 
interest to keep them as their shepherds. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 505 

stage of water ; at low water it would be perfectly Impracti- 
cable. And above the Jornada, it will be borne in mind, 
lie more than three-fourths of the arable land of the 
river, or at least nine-tenths of tliat of the State at large. 

In future, as heretofore, it is j^robable tliat to tlie 
narrow valley of the Rio Grande (the ^^ river bottom ") 
will be confined the greater part of the strictly agricultu- 
ral portion of the State. The affluents of the great river, 
the Pecos on the east, and the Puerco on the w^est, have 
along their courses large tracts of good land, but the want 
of timber on the first, and the too frequent occurrence of 
a partial or total want of water on the last, are serious 
hindrances to their imj^rovement. 

There are spots on each, where, but for the clanger to 
be encountered from Indians, isolated settlements might 
be made to advantage ; but these would add but little to 
the total amount. 

The best lands on the Rio Grande are between Pina 
Blanca and the Jornada del Muerto — in a narrow strip 
on either bank of the river, that would measure, followins: 
its meanders, about one hundred and eighty miles. These 
lands — the bottom lands — vary in depth from one-half of 
a mile to two miles and a half, but probably do not exceed 
on an average one mile. 

The soil is light, but where within reach of irrigation is 
enriched by the fertilizing waters of the river, and pro- 
duces abundant and almost unfailing crops of wheat, corn, 
beans, and onions. 

The uplands, even on iha very borders of the river, and 
although the soil be good, are unproductive, for the reason 
that irrigation is impracticable in the ordinary way. If, 
by boring^ water in sufficient quantity for irrigation could 
be got, many large tracts of uplands, now worthless 
except for grazing, would possibly become as productive 
as the bottoms ; but this in both respects is problematical. 



506 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

At points wliere bodies of tliis land are found sufficiently 
large to warrant the expense, another mode more eligible 
may be adopted. The fall of the river in its passage 
through this part of the State being about two and a-half 
feet to the mile, the distance it may be necessary to bring 
the water from above is easily calculated ; thus, a large 
" acequia '' or canal, opened five or eight miles above, 
would throw its branches in every direction over land 
from twelve to twenty feet above the level of the river, at 
the point cultivated. 

On the march from El Paso del Norte to Santa Fe the 
river lands w^ere carefully noted, and a rough estimate 
made of the amount at present in cultivation, c^c, &g. : it 
is given here, and may be regarded as an approximation. 

On the left or east bank of the river, on the line above 
indicated, from El Paso to Don' Ana, there is but little 
land under cultivation, say thirty-tw^o hundred acres, and 
as much more cultivable still vacant, while there is along 
the river-bank at least forty-five thousand acres worthless 
for agricultural purposes. 

Twelve miles above Don' Ana commences the noted 
Jornada, crossing the high table-land that fills the great 
western bend of the river — a stretch of ninety miles with- 
out water. At a point twenty-five miles from the north 
end of the Jornada, by taking a trail, (impracticable for 
wagons,) is found at the distance of six miles westward 
the Ojo del Mucrto, or Dead Man's Spring, where there is 
running water ; but the fatigue of the animals occasioned 
by this extra march of twelve miles is not com2:>ensated by 
the draught of water ; and most trains, unless they can 
command time to lie by here, push on to the end of the 
journey without halting. During the rainy season two 
or three pools may be found, containing perhaps water 
enough for two hundred and fifty or three hundred 
animals — not more; and this may not last three weeks 
after the rain ceases. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 507 

Around this bend impassable mountains close in upon 
the river-banks as far as Fray Cristobal, eighteen miles 
below Valverde ; and from Don' Ana to Lopez, a distance 
of one hundred and forty miles, there is not a human 
habitation ; that of Yalverde having been abandoned many 
years since in consequence of overflow. 

From the north end of Jornada to Pina Blanca there is 
at present under cultivation about sixty miles of bottom- 
land, with an average depth of one mile, giving sixty 
square miles, or thirty-eight thousand four hundred acres; 
of cultivable land unimproved about fifty square miles, or 
thirty-two thousand acres; and of land uncultivable — the 
greater part entirely sterile — about seventy square miles, 
or forty-four thousand eight hundred acres. 

The different qualities of land (it will be understood) 
are in greater or less bodies interposed amongst each 
other along the whole line, though the best lands, and in 
the largest bodies, lie between Lopez and Algodones. 

On the right or west bank of the river, following its 
meanders, there may be from El Paso to Pilia Blanca 
about forty-seven square miles, or thirty thousand two 
hundred and eighty acres, now under cultivation ; of good 
land vacant, one hundred and eighty miles, or one hun- 
dred and fifteen thousand two hundred acres ; and of land 
waste, and fit only for grazing, two hundred and three 
square miles, or one hundred and thirty thousand acres. 

Here also, on the right bank of the river, the good, bad, 
and indifferent lands are intermixed in tracts of various 
sizes along the route. 

In addition to the foregoing there are, in isolated tracts? 
many considerable bodies of arable land, the principal of 
which are here enumerated. 

First, the beautiful valley of Taos, begirt almost by the 
Rocky Mountains, their spurs and other detached peaks. 
The valley may be from twenty-five to thirty miles in cir- 



508 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

cumference, and may contaiiij immediately on the margins 
of the several streams that unite near the town of (San 
Fernandez de) Taos, forming the Rio de Taos, and thence 
to its debouch into the Rio Grande, about fifteen thou- 
sand acres now in cultivation, and ten tliousand acres 
arable vacant. The remainder, tliough the soil is gener- 
ally good, lies too high for irrigation in the ordinary 
way, even supposing that the streams afforded water 
enough, which is doubtful. 

Passing from the valley over a spur of the Rocky Moun- 
tains there is from La Joya to Canada a stretch along the 
Rio Grande of about fifteen miles, with an average depth 
of two miles, say twenty thousand acres of good cultivable 
land, little of which is improved. 

Crossing the Rio Grande at Canada, we ascend the Rio 
Chamas to the town of Abiquiu, adjoining w hich the river- 
bottom is cultivated for about three miles, with an average 
width of one and a half, or twenty-eight hundred and 
eighty acres. The unimproved lands on this stream, 
equally good in quality and position, amount to thrice 
that quantity ; in this estimate both banks of the river 
are included. 

Recrossing the Rio Grande, there will be found, at 
Rayado and Morotown, some twenty thousand acres of 
good land, about one-tenth of which is improved ; at the 
former a portion of the land lies high, but may be irri- 
gated by bringing the water some miles. 

Around Las Vegas, Upper and Lower Tecolete and 
Barclay's Trading-house, there may be one hundred thou- 
sand acres, of which nearly one-fifth is improved. 

On the Pecos River, at the towns of Pecos, San Jose, 
San Miguel, Anton Chico, &c., probably six thousand 
acres in cultivation, and thrice that amount of arable land 
vacant. 

Of several of the last-named bodies of land it should be 



nr GEORGE A. McCALL. 500 

remarked that doubt exists whether the streams on which 
they lie will afford a sufficiency to irrigate the whole of 
what is actually within reach of their waters. 

lleturning westward, we have on the Rio de Santa F^, 
below the town, not more than five thousand acres in 
cultivation : all that around still vacant is worthless for 
agricultural purposes. And from Canada to Peila Blanca, 
along the river, there is but little good land on this side. 
The lands on the Pecos, as far as yet settled, are included 
in the above estimates. Below the settlements there is 
timber at but two points. These are the Bosque Eedondo, 
or round forest, and the Bosque Grande, or great forest. 
The latter, in or about the parallel of Yalverde, extends 
along the river for fifteen miles, with a breadth of eight 
or ten miles, including both banks. Sixty miles above is 
the former, lying equally on both banks, with a diameter 
of ten miles. Each has good timber in abundance, but it 
is impossible to say what quantity of land adjoining either 
is fit for the plough ; and they are the only points on the 
Pecos below the Anton Chico settlement where wood 
enough even for fuel is found. 

The Puerco and its west tributary, the Pio San Jose, 
the Rio de Jemez, and the country thence along the Rio 
Grande to the mouth of the Rio Chamas, have some small 
tracts of land in cultivation, principally by Pueblos. I 
have been unable to ascertain the amount from any reliable 
source, and therefore have not included it in the estimate. 
But it is believed, as mentioned above, that the frequent 
sinking of the Puerco in deep sands, under which, upon a 
•hard clay, it follows its course for miles, reappearing at 
intervals in the form of pools, until finally lost entirely 
before reaching the Rio Grande, will prevent its ever 
adding much to the agricultural produce of the State. 

On the headwaters of the Arkansas, I have been told by 
old trappers, there is a beautiful country of great extent, 
43* 



510 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

where the land, well watered and well timbered, is suffi- 
ciently level for farming. They expressed the belief that 
good crops of wheat and corn might be raised here with- 
out irrigation, the rains being seasonable and sufficient. 

More minute examination of this country will be neces- 
sary to determine its character and value. 

I shall now proceed to recapitulate and sum up what 
may be considered the agricultural districts of New 
Mexico ; not including any portion of the State now held 
by wild Indians. 



Left or east bank of Rio Grande: 

From El Paso to Don Ana 

From Fray Cristobal to Peiia Blanca 
Right or icest bank of Rio Grande : 

From El Paso to Peua Blanca 

Valley of Taos .... 

On Rio Grande : 

From La Joya to Canada . 
Valley of Chamas : 

At Abiquiu 

Rayado and Morotown . 

Las Vegas, Upper and Lower Tecolete and 
Barclay's Trading-house 

Pecos, San Jose, San Miguel, and Anton Chico 6,000 

Santa Fe 

Total number of acres .... 124,760 303,240 

From the foregoing statement, based upon close per- 
sonal observations and much minute inquiry, it would ap- 
pear that more than one half of the arable land, either 
improved or vacant, as far as now known with any degree 
of certainty, lies in the immediate valley of the Rio 
Grande. 

The method adopted in estimating, it is true, is rude, 
but neither time nor opportunity admitted of a more 
regular and satisfactory examination. The figures. I may 



Land now in cul- 
• tivation. 
Acres. 


Land cultivable 

now vacant. 

Acres. 


3,200 


3,200 


. 38,600 


32,000 


. 30,280 


115,200 


15,000 


10,000 


. 2,000 


18,000 


2,880 


8,840 


. 2,000 


18,000 


na 

. 20,000 


80,000 


ico 6,000 


18,000 


. 5,000 





4 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 511 

assert with confidence, are not too high ; nor do I believe 
tliey will be found very greatly below the truth with re- 
spect to the lands specified ; w^hat amount of farming 
lands there may be in addition to these, further examina- 
tion will determine. 

In looking at the past, in the history of New Mexico, 
it is clear that the fruits of labor in the principal pursuits 
of life above mentioned, have, up to the time of the ces- 
sion of the territory to the United States, been blighted 
by the presence of formidable tribes of Indians, who still 
infest the country ; and it would from certain indications 
appear that the future prosperity of the State to arise from 
the steady, uninterrupted prosecution of these pursuits, 
will in a great measure depend on the impression now to 
be made on these Indians. 

It may be apprehended, that, if they are not in the be- 
ginning impressed with the ability and the settled purpose 
of the United States to chastise those who plunder and 
murder its citizens, — if acts of this kind, now of almost 
monthly occurrence and utterly beyond the power of the 
present military force to check, are continued longer un- 
punished, the Indians will hold us in the contempt with 
which they now look upon the Mexicans, whom they have 
wantonly robbed and murdered for two centuries past. 
And the inevitable consequence will be, sooner or later, a 
waVy more or less general, with the surrounding tribes. 

This subject appears to be so closely blended with those 
to which my attention has been directed, I trust a few re- 
marks on the present strength and temper of these Indians 
may not be unacceptable to the Department. The infor- 
mation has been gathered piecemeal, and therefore may be 
regarded as the collective knowledge of several persons 
who have seen much of the difl^erent tribes. 

Of the eight tribes of wild Indians who inhabit the 
mountains and plains of New Mexico and the contiguous 



512 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

country, the Navajoes and Apaches are the most formi- 
dable as enemies, the most troublesome as neighbors. 

The first are, with the exception of the Moqui, the most 
civilized : they are without exception the most wealthy 
of all. They are not so warlike nor so bold in attack as 
the Apaches, but they are numerous, well equipped, and 
occupy a country well fortified by nature. Their country, 
extending from the San Juan to the Gila, with a breadth 
of 150 miles, consists chiefly of mountains and high table- 
lands, and is full of fastnesses. Tlieir possessions consist 
of large stocks of horses, mules, horned cattle, and sheep, 
which are perhaps extravagantly represented, by persons 
who have had intercourse with them, as numerous beyond 
calculation, — many times more so than those of all New 
Mexico at present. There may be great extravagance in 
all this, but it is well known that these Indians do possess 
stock, more or less. If such be the case, and they are 
supposed to have retained one out of ten, or even one out 
of every twenty, of the countless flocks and herds they 
have driven off from the Rio Grande within the last 
twenty years, to increase their own stock, tlieir progeny 
would in less time have swelled the amount to extrava- 
gant numbers. Although they have no permanent vil- 
lages, they cultivate the soil to a considerable extent, 
making periodical visits to their flelds at planting and 
harvest times. In this way they make a sufficiency of 
grain for all their wants, besides a few vegetables and 
fruits. They are said to be intelligent and industrious, 
and their manufactures (blankets and coarse cloths,) in 
their neatness and finish, go far to prove this ; these arti- 
cles being made (of wool of their own growing) not only 
for their own use, but for traffic also to a large amount. 

For some years past they are believed to have steadily 
increased in numbers, and to count now about eighteen 
hundred lodges, which, at six per lodge, would give ten 
thousand eight hundred souls. 



I 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 513 

From the aptness of these Indians and the advance- 
ment they have made in tlie arts of civilization, it occurs 
to the mind that they might with proper management be 
induced to settle themselves permanently, as the Pueblos 
have done; after which they might be advantageously em- 
ployed in an attempt to reclaim their more wild and savage 
neighbors. And the accomplishment of an object so im- 
portant would seem worthy of notice. 

The forays which the Apaches make upon the Mexicans 
are incited by want ; they have nothing of their own, and 
must plunder or starve. This is not the case with the 
Navajoes — they have enriched themselves by appropri- 
ating the flocks and herds of an unresisting people, and 
cannot offer the plea of necessity. 

In the first place, before anything can be done with this 
people, it is believed it will be indispensable to open the 
communication with them in their own country, in the 
presence of a sufficient military force to impress them 
seriously with the weight and importance of the confer- 
ence; that the object is not an idle ^'talk/^ — a treaty such 
as they have been in the habit from year to year of making 
with the New Mexicans, to be continued in force only until 
their own immediate objects are quietly attained, — but a 
treaty, the violation of which will bring upon them war in 
all its severity. Then (the treaty being concluded) let the 
first offence be so punished as to prove that we are in earnest. 
Forbearance exercised towards the Navajoes would be 
mistaken humanity; and the blood of our own citizens 
would be the fruits of it. It would be dealing with them 
too much in the style they have been accustomed to ; and 
the only effect w^ould be to excite their contempt for us. 

But I am satisfied that the presence of a strong military 
force in their country — (the Navajoes muster over two 
thousand warriors) — would insure the observance of any 
treaty it might be important to make with them. Their 

2H 



514 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

thievish j^ropensitics could then be controlled ; and they 
might in a short time, by judicious management, be in- 
duced to give up their roving habits and settle them- 
selves in permanent towns, in the vicinity of their fields. 
They could, with little labor, live well on the increase of 
their flocks, and the bountiful product of their soil, which, 
with little attention, gives growth to noble crops of wheat, 
ab well as corn. Nor would the change of life to them be 
very great. 

If the Navajoes are first secured, and their chiefs en- 
listed in our cause, their influence may at once be brought 
to bear upon the other tribes. They entertain the most 
friendly relations with their northern neighbors, the 
Utahs ; as do the latter with the tribe adjoining on the 
east, the Jicarilla Apaches : and by the last the communi- 
cation is kept up with the several bands of their own 
tribes on the east of the State, and so on to the Gila bands 
on the south. And here, if the Gila Apaches prove re- 
fractory, the Navajoes may be brought against them with- 
out difliculty, for they are far from friendly now, and fre- 
quently have a brush when they meet. 

To an end so desirable, the Pueblos of the State might 
in the first place be well employed in bringing about the 
reformation of the Navajoes ; although at present they are 
not friendly. 

The Moqui Indians, who live to the southwest of the 
Navajoes, are weak in numbers, and are too remote to give 
annoyance to the State, were they so disposed. They have, 
however, no such disposition ; but on the contrary, are 
pacific, honest, and hospitable ; and are, besides, the most 
civilized of the western Indians. They always proved 
themselves good warriors in their former contests with the 
Navajoes and Apaclies; and though much reduced in 
numbers by their more powerful enemies, were never 
subdued. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 515 

The cultivation of a friendly understanding with them 
might be repaid at some future day, by their services in 
various ways, as guides, &c., in the event of a war with 
either of their old enemies. The Moqui live in permanent 
villages; cultivate large farms; have a large amount of 
stock ; and make blankets and cloths from wool of their 
own growing. The number of their lodges is about three 
hundred and fifty, which, at seven per lodge, would give a 
population of twenty-four hundred and fifty souls. 

On the north of the Navajoes are the Utahs, occupying 
the territory between the San Juan and the head of the 
Arkansas — a rugged country, but well stocked with game. 
They have neither permanent villages nor cultivated fields^ 
and subsist chiefly on game. They are a warlike people, 
and much attached to a wandering life, frequently ex- 
tending their excursions to California. Altogether, they 
amount to four or five thousand, though there are rarely 
at a time more than one thousand immediately on the 
borders of the State. These people do not extend their 
forays further south than Abiquiu, Taos, and Moro- 
town ; and in these they are very often united with the 
Jicarilla Apaches. In event of an active campaign being 
set on foot for the purpose of punishing the outrages 
committed recently by the latter, the Utahs would un- 
doubtedly render them great assistance, covertly, and at 
the same time send in to inform us of their determination 
to remain neutral. It is not probable, however, they 
would openly join them. 

Adjoining the Utahs on the northeast are the Cheyennes 
and Arrapahoes, who range from the headwaters of the 
Arkansas eastward upon the plains. They subsist entirely 
upon the buffalo; commit no depredations; are friendly 
to the white man — though in the event of a war with 
other tribes, could not perhaps be depended upon. To- 
gether, they amount to about three thousand five hundred 
souls. 



516 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

The eastern part of New Mexico (up to the Rio Pecos) 
is a part of the range of the Coraanches, and they visit 
these grounds at least once a year, generally after the 
breaking up of their winter-quarters near the sources of 
the Brazos and Trinity rivers of Texas. They rarely com- 
mit depredations in New Mexico ; and their movements 
arc principally of interest to the State, from their intimate 
connection witli the Apaches. They meet the latter on 
the Pecos, and there concert their campaigns into Chihua- 
hua and Sonora. From these departments they annually 
bring off large numbers of mules ; and oft^n from Durango, 
into the centre of which they sometimes make their way 
in company with the Mescaleros, (Apaches.) And from 
these departments they also bring off many prisoners. 

Again, on their return, they halt at the Pecos, and are 
now met by the New Mexican traders. Their mules are 
many of them exchanged with the latter for arms and 
ammunition, cloths, and paint, &c., &c. ; the remainder 
are driven with them on their return, and their meat eaten 
until they again enter the buffalo range. 

Their prisoners are said to amount to large numbers; 
they consist principally of women and children, though 
men also are often brought over. A Ncav Mexican, living 
at San Miguel, recently returned from a large camp of 
Comanches and Apaches, on the Pecos, stated that in the 
camp of the former there were almost as many Mexican 
slaves — women and children — as Indians. It will be a 
difficult matter to induce them to restore these prisoners. 
And until this unlicensed trade is broken up, their preda- 
tory incursions into Mexico can never be checked. 

The Comanches, divided into three bands, have in all 
upwards of twelve thousand souls. 

The Kayuguas, who occupy the country west of the 
Brazos, are rarely seen on the borders of New Mexico. 
They do not exceed two thousand souls. 



J 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 517 

Lastly, the several bands of the Apaches. These In- 
dians, owing to their numerical strength, their bold and 
independent character, and their immemorial predatory 
habits, will, it is to be apprehended, prove more difficult 
to reclaim or subdue than any other of the (strictly speak- 
ing) New Mexican tribes. 

From the earliest accounts Ave have of them, they have 
been regarded by their kindred tribes as mountain robbers. 
On the Gila, at the period of the Spanish conquest, they 
Avere in the habit of despoiling the fields of their more 
industrious and pacific neighbors, the Moqui. By these 
they have latterly been successfully resisted. But the 
inhabitants of Chihuahua and Sonora arc still p-roanino; 
under their relentless spoliations. They complain bitterly; 
but continue to submit without resistance. 

The Apaches, divided into six bands, inhabit the 
country enclosed between the eastern chain of the Rio 
Grande mountains and the river Pecos, from the northern 
to the southern boundary of New Mexico, and on the 
south the country bordering on the Gila River, — thus com- 
pleting the chain by uniting with the Utahs on the north, 
and with the territory of the Navajoes on the west. 

Of the different bands, the JkariUa Apaches, on the 
extreme north, are one of the smallest, but at the same 
time one of the most troublesome of the tribe. They have 
latterly committed more murders on our people than all 
the others together. Ranging from the upper Arkansas 
to the Canadian, their trail crosses the Independence and 
Santa Fe road between the ^' Point of Rocks ^' and the 
^' Wagon Mound '' or Santa Clara Spring, and this ground 
is known as the scene of several recent and deplorable 
tragedies. They have suffered severely in two or three 
conflicts with our troops during the past year, and are 
supposed now to number less than one hundred warriors 
— four hundred souls. They (as well as all the other 
44 



518 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

bands of this tribe) have no permanent villages — no fields 
of grain ; and fearing collision with the stronger tribes 
that roam the bnffalo plains, the Jicarillas depend for 
their subsistence chiefly on the success of their marauding 
parties. 

This band is considered as incorrigible, and it is be- 
lieved they will continue to rob and murder our citizens 
until they are exterminated. I know of no means that 
could be employed to reclaim them. 

Next in succession, southwardly, are the White Moun- 
tain Apaches, numbering one hundred and fifty w^arriors • 
they are in close communication with the Sacramento 
Apaches, w^ho have about the same number of warriors. 
These two bands inhabit the White and Sacramento ^loun- 
tains, and together they range the country extending north 
and south from the junction of the Gallinos with the 
Pecos to the lower end of the Jornada del Muerto. They 
continue to drive oif the stock and to kill the Mexican 
shepherds both in the vicinity of A^egas and along the 
Rio Grande from SandivaFs to Don' Ana. 

Next come the Apaches 3IescaIeros, consisting of two 
bands, under the chiefs Marco and Gomez ; the former 
(the more northerly) having two hundred warriors ; the 
latter, four hundred. They hold the country east of tlie 
Rio Grande from the Guadalupe Mountains to Presidio 
del Norte. 

These two bands are the strongest and the most warlike 
and fearless of their tribe. They have rarely molested 
the inhabitants of New Mexico north of El Paso ; nor 
w^ere they unfriendly to United States citizens whom they 
met on the road, until a feeling of hostility was aroused by 
the infamous attack of Glanton, an American citizen in 
the pay of the government of Chihuahua, on a part of 
Gomez's band in 1849. They have however, for years, 
in conjunction with the Comanches, committed fearful 



BY GEORGE A. Mr CALL, 519 

havoc in Clilbualiua and Sonora, and like them have 
carried off women and children, though not by any means 
to the same extent. 

These bands have no manufactures whatever ; and 
having no agriculture and but little game in their own 
country, they subsist in a great measure on the meat of 
horses, mules, and sometimes cattle, driven from Mexico 
by their foraging parties. They are not, however, alto- 
gether without a farinaceous food. A kind of cake or 
23aste is made from the mezquite bean, and the root of the 
maguay plant is roasted and eaten. 

The Gila Apaches, subdivided into three or four 
smaller bands, make their home — if an Apache can be 
said to have a home — on the Gila River. 

Their foraging parties sometimes make their appearance 
on the Kio Grande, near Don' Ana ; but by far the greater 
portion of their supplies are brought from Chihuahua. 
They are bold and independent, and together muster 
about four hundred warriors. 

To take into view the different bands collectively as a 
tribe, and the extent of country held by the tribe ; to 
consider their restless habits, their aversion to permanent 
villages and the labor of agriculture; at the same time 
bearing in mind the scarcity of game throughout a great 
part of their country, and therefore the temptation, in 
fact the almost necessity, to poach upon their neighbors, 
it would seem like the undertaking of a tedious task 
to attempt to reclaim the Apaches. It is true, it Avill 
require time to subdue their propensity to plunder, to 
control their movements, to settle them in permanent 
villages, and to induce them to commence the cultivation 
of the soil; and until this is eifected, they must continue 
to plunder, or they must starve ; still, it may be possible 
to accomplish all this, by judicious management, in a few 
years' time. During at least the early part of this period 



520 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

it woiildj of course, be necessary to feed these Indians ; to 
give them cattle and sheep, and to encourage the rearing 
of them; to employ suitable persons — New Mexicans 
would be the best, as the Apaches understand their lan- 
guage — to teach them how to prepare their fields and 
plant their corn for the first year or two : and the greatest 
difficulty, perhaps, would be found, in carrying out this 
part of the scheme, to overcome the pride of the Apache 
warriors, who think any pursuits but those of war and 
the chase beneath their dignity. 

From the following little incident may be drawn very 
fair conclusions as to the present condition and temper of 
the Apaches. 

In March last Mr. F. X. Aubrey, on his way from San 
Antonio to El Paso with a train of wagons, fell in with 
Marco^s hand near the Limpia River. The former had 
Avith him near sixty men, which perhaps had some influence 
on the character of his reception. An amicable meeting, 
however, took place, and some mules were obtained from 
the Indians. 

In the ^^ talk ^' held between the parties, Mr. Aubrey 
told Marco that the United States desired to be on friendly 
terms with him; and that, consequently, he must not 
allow his people to kill our citizens, or carry off their 
stock. This he promised to do. He was then told he 
must also give up plundering the Mexicans. After a long 
pause he replied : " I had supposed that my brother was a 
man of good sense. Has he, then, seen between the 
Pecos and the Limpia game enough to feed 3000 people ? 
We have had for a long time no other food than the meat 
of Mexican cattle and mules, and we must make use of it 
still, or perish. '^ He said subsequently : '^ If your people 
will give us cattle to feed our families, we will no longer 
take from the Mexicans." 

If these people were maintained in idleness, they would, 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 521 

perhaps, remain quiet ; but whether they could be induced 
to take upon themselves the task of providing for their 
future subsistence, by their own manual labor, is a ques- 
tion that nothing but actual experiment will solve. 

The whole of the Indians of the country are ignorant 
of the power of the United States, and also of its views as 
regards themselves. And it would do much to enlighten 
them as to the policy of our government if delegations from 
the Pueblos and the principal wild tribes were called to 
the United States. A journey through the States, and a 
visit to our principal cities, would likewise impress them 
as to the means and resources of the country to carry on 
a war. If, however, by such means as have been referred 
to, these people may not be reclaimed, it is very certain 
that a considerable augmentation of the armed force will 
be required to control them. 

Within the last hour, information of a perfectly reliable 
character has been received that near Padillas, about 
seventy miles south of Santa Fe, seven thousand sheep 
were driven oif by Navajoes a few days since ; and a few 
miles lower on the river, six hundred ; the shepherd of 
the last flock being pierced with fourteen arrows. 

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

Geo. a. MoCall, 
Major 3c/ Infantry, Brevet Lieut- Colonel. 
Hon. Geo. W. Crawford, Secretary of War. 

[Copies of the State Constitution, in the Spanish and 
the English language, enclosed herewith.] 

P. S. — The returns in the office of the Secretary of the 
Territory show the following number of votes polled at 
the recent elections. No estimate of the population can 
be made from them, as the number entitled to vote, who 
did not vote, is unknown. 
44* 



522 



LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 



Number of votes polled for the Constitution 
Number of votes polled against the Constitution 



8,371 



,410 



For Governor — Connelly. 4,604 votes. 

Baca 2,706 " 



7,310 



For Lieutenant Governor- 



Alvarez . 
St. Vrain 



4,586 votes. 
3,465 '' 



8,051 " 



N. B. — The following is believed to be a pretty accu- 
rate estimate of the strength of the Apaches, and also of 
the other New Mexican Indians. I am aware that the 
Apaches and Utahs are by some persons set down as 
above 10,000 each; of the Pneblos at from 12,000 to 
16,000 ; but I feel confident they have been overrated : 



Apaches — Jicarillas ....... 

White Mountains . , • . . 

Sacramento Mountains 

Mercaleros — 

Marco's band, 200 warriors, 1000 souls "i 
Gomez's band, 400 warriors, 1800 souls / 

Gila band — three or four subdivisions 

Total of Apaches 

Wild Indians of New Mexico. 



Warriors. 

100 
150 
150 


Souls. 

400 
600 
600 


600 


2,800 


400 


1,600 



1,400 6,000 



West of Rio Grande 
North of the State : 



1. Navajoes . 

2. Moqui .... 

3. Utah, on the State line 

far West 

4. Cheyennes 

5. Arrapahoes . 
East of Pecos : 6, Comanches 

7. Hayaguias . 
West of Pecos, and 

south of the State : 8. Apaches, warriors 1,400 



Lodges. 


Souls. 


1,500 


10,000 


350 


2,500 


— 


1,000 


— 


4,000 


300 


2,000 


300 


1,500 


2,500 


12,000 


400 


2,000 



Grand total . 

Not including W. Utahs 



6,000 



41,000 



37,500 



Geo. a. McCall. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 523 

[On the 20th of August, the following letter was received 
from Colonel Bliss, President Taylor's Private Secretary.] 

Colonel George A. McCalL, Washington, June 4, 1850. 

Santa Fe. 
Dear Colonel: — I am glad to learn that you have 
reached Santa Fe, and as I hear with improved health. I 
avail myself of the departure of Mr. Collins, who leaves to- 
morrow or this evening for New Mexico, to say that the 
President yesterday nominated you for the office of Inspector- 
General, vice Duncan. It gives me sincere pleasure to make 
this announcement ; the next mail, I cannot doubt, ivlll carry 
the news of your confirmation. I have notliing to say more. 

Yours, very truly, 

AV. W. S. Bliss. 



Santa Fe, August 29, 1850. 

My dear M : I received by yesterday's mail 

my commission of Inspector-General, dated 11th June, 
having been confirmed by the Senate on the 10th. It was 
the more satisfactory and the more valuable to me, and 
1 shall ever regard it Avith pride, because of its bearing 
the signature of General Taylor. It was not long before 
his death that he signed it, and it must have been a few 
days after the receipt of my first report from New Mex- 
ico, on a subject of interest to himself and his adminis- 
tration, and which I feel well assured was satisfactory 
to him. He had designated me long before for this 
office ; and his unclianged decision during a long inter- 
val, wherein much influence was brought to bear on him 
in favor of other officers, is certainly highly complimen- 
tary. I am ordered to make a tour of this Department, 
including all of New Mexico; and in addition to the 
regular inspection of the troops, the staff department, &c., 
&c., I am directed to report on several heads cited to me 



524 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

as coining within the subjects referable to my Depart- 
ment. 

These are statistics, many of which were covered in a 
long report I made in July, in compliance with instruc- 
tions from the Secretary of War, Mr. Crawford. I am 
in hopes of completing the tour to the several posts in 
the Department, by the middle of October, after which 
I shall set out from El Paso for the east, either by 
way of San Antonio, the way I came, or make my way 
through Chihuahua, Monclova, Parras, Monterey, and 
Matamoras to New Orleans. I hope to be in Philadel- 
phia by Christmas, as I am ordered to report in Wash- 
ington, after completing the inspection of this Depart- 
ment. 

The commanding officer of this Department has just 
received by special express (since the arrival of the mail) 
an order from General Scott, signed as Acting Secretary of 
War, directing that officer to take such steps as might be 
necessary in the event of an invasion of the soil of New 
Mexico by Texas, which he states is preparing to send 
fifteen hundred Volunteers hither, to establish her juris- 
diction. We also hear the Compromise Bill in Congress 
has been lost. What does all this indicate? Are we to 
have a civil war — the South against the North? Unless 
something of this kind turns up, I shall be with you, I 
trust, by the time I have stated. 

We have here now, as a visitor, the Bishoj) of Durango. 
He was received with great display, civil and military. 
I was invited by Don David Ortez to take a seat in his 
carriage, and go out for a few miles to meet the Bishop. 
There was a great crowd of ladies, officers, and Mexicans. 
About five miles distant the Bishop was met, and invited 
by Ortcz to take a seat in his carriage, which he did ; so 
I had a very good opportunity of seeing him. An ex- 
cellent old man, polished and learned ; also considered in 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 525 

Mexico a pattern of morality and purity to his fellows 
of the clergy. The next day we all called upon him, 
and were very handsomely entertained. The following 
evening the old gentleman called on me to congratulate 
me on my appointment, which the mail in the interval 
had brought. He smoked a cigar Avith rae, but the Vi- 
cario of Santa Fe who accompanied him, did not dare to 
smoke in his presence, though he accepted a fine cigar I 
offered him. 

I set out the day after to-morrow (to-morrow I review 
and inspect the troops here) for the northern posts at 
Abiquiu, Taos, Rayado, and Vegas, and on my return 
pursue my tour to the southward, to Albuquerque, Cibol- 
letta, Socorro, Don' Ana, El Paso, and San Elizario, 
After all this, I turn my face to the sunrise. 

Oh, what a lamentable event has been the death of my 
much-loved old friend. General Taylor ! I know nothing 
I have experienced for a long time that has shocked me 
as much. We were altogether unprepared for it. I fear 
from indications just now made known to us of the feel- 
ing arising among the Southern people, that his loss will 
be felt by the country before many months pass. I can 
write no more. Yours, &c. 

[After completing the Inspection of the Ninth Military 
Department — New Mexico — visiting the numerous little 
forts, garrisons, or camps thinly scattered throughout that 
ill-starred Territory, the writer arrived at General Head- 
quarters in Washington City about the middle of Decem- 
ber, and there received a copy of the letter from the Adju- 
tant-General's Ofiice, dated June 24, 1850, the original of 
whi(^h had not reached Santa Fe before the writer left there. 
Now, having had a free and satisfactory interview with both 
the Secretary of War and the General-in-Chief regarding the 
subjects on which they desired a minute report, the following 
letter, dated Philadelphia, December 26, 1850, was written.] 



526 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Inspector General's Office, ) 
Philadelphia, December 26, 1850. ^ 

General: — In obedience to instructions from the 
War Department, embraced in a letter from your office, 
dated the 24th of June, 1850, I have now the honor to 
submit a report on the several subjects therein referred 
to, viz. : — 

"1. The probable number of lives lost and of persons 
taken captives by the Indians, within the last eighteen 
months, in New Mexico ; also the probable value of 
property stolen or destroyed within the same period." 

In pursuing my inquiries on this subject, I found it 
extremely difficult, although I visited towns or settle- 
ments where, or in the neighborhood of which, depreda- 
tions had been committed by the Navajoes, Utahs, or 
Apaches within twelve or eighteen months previous, to 
collect from the people information at all explicit or re- 
liable; while the cases reported at the headquarters of 
the department, or the office of the Secretary of State, do 
not cover two-thirds, perhaps not one-half, of all that 
occurred. However, on the northern frontier, from Abi- 
quiu to Las Vegas, there were enumerated to me about 
fifty-three persons who have been killed on that line 
within twelve months, from September 1, 1849, to Sep- 
tember 1, 1850. In the six months preceding, there 
were some shepherds killed at different points along that 
line, probably ten or twelve, though I could not arrive 
at the number with any precision. These murders were 
committed by the Navajoes, Utahs, and Jicarilla Apaches, 
but principally by the latter. In the lower country, and 
along the Rio Grande, from Santa Fe to El Paso, about 
twenty persons have been killed within eighteen months; 
these were by the Navajoes, and White Mountain and 
Sacramento Mountain Apaches. The number of captives 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 527 

carried oif from New Mexico within tlie same period, 
amount in all to thirteen that are known and enumerated. 
The probability, however, is that, many obscure persons 
have been killed and children carried off, besides those 
named. 

If we assume the total ascertained of killed to be eighty- 
three, and of captives to be thirteen, I incline to the be- 
lief that from fifteen to thirty per cent, might be safely 
added to these figures without exceeding the truth. 

As far as I could ascertain positively, by summing up 
individual cases, the number of animals driven off by 
these Indians within eighteen months prior to the 1st of 
September, 1850, is as follows : 

Horses 181, which, at $40 each, is $7,240 

Mules 402, which, at $50 each, is 20,100 

Horned cattle, (many of them work oxen,) 788, at $20 . 15,760 

Sheep 47,800, at $1,50 70,950 

Total $114,050 

To this amount fifty per cent, may be added. And 
when it is taken into consideration, that for twenty years 
past, the flocks and herds of this people have been yearly 
diminishing under the constant ravages of the wild tribes 
and that districts which formerly were covered with 
"stock " are now almost bare, the above amounts must 
be set down as heavy losses. For further information on 
tliis point, I beg leave to refer to my report of the 15th 
of July last, now on file at the Department. 

" 2. The capacity of the people of New Mexico to re- 
sist the incursions of the Indians, and the necessary mili- 
tary force to secure protection." 

With regard to the first clause of the inquiry, the his- 
tory of the country during the period of two hundred 
years past illustrates the fact which impresses itself on 
every one who visits New Mexico, that the people within 
themselves are altogether Incapable of resisting the iu- 



528 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

roads of the Indians into the very heart of their territory. 
They have been from generation to generation so deeply 
imbued with the fear of their savage neighbors, that it is 
only necessary to raise the cry of " los Indios," and a 
dozen of them will run from a couple of Apaches armed 
with lance and bow. On several expeditions against these 
Indians they have been organized into companies, and 
have marched with the regular troops ; but their chief 
exploits have been to secure the booty, after the enemy 
had been attacked and routed by the Regulars. In most 
of these instances, they have been allowed, as an encour- 
agement, to possess themselves of the entire spoil ; but 
while this continues to be their sole object, as it does now 
seem to be, they will not greatly expose their persons in 
the conflict; and I should therefore rate their capacity 
for Indian warfare at v^ery little above '^ zero J' 

Better auxiliaries may be found in the Pueblo (or civi- 
lized) Indians of the Territory ; and I would here re- 
spectfully repeat what I had the honor to present to the 
notice of the Department in my report of the 15th of July, 
viz., that advantages may accrue from extending to these 
people a marked kindness, and securing their confidence 
in the friendship and justice of our Government. 

In replying to the latter clause of the second query, I 
would in the first place beg leave to invite attention to 
the facts stated in a preceding paragraph, i. e. the known 
losses sustained yearly and monthly by the inhabitants of 
this Territory from the inroads of large tribes of wild 
Indians, whose country envelops the Territory without 
interval on the north, south, east, and west. From the 
facts to which I refer, it must appear either that the mili- 
tary force at 'present in New Mexico is idle and inefficient, 
or that the extent of frontier intrusted to its protection 
is out of proportion to its strength and the character of 
its organization. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 529 

A single glance at the map, and a reference to the total 
number of troops for duty, as stated in the last report 
from the ninth department headquarters, will clearly 
demonstrate the truth of the last position. The question 
is, what (at the lowest calculation) is "the necessary mili- 
tary force to secure protection ? '' 

In stationing a military force here, there are, apparently, 
two objects in view, requiring separate fields of action. 
The first is to afford present protection to the lives and 
property of the inhabitants ; the second, to effectually 
check the marauding spirit of the Indians, and, at a subse- 
quent period, to induce them to dwell in fixed habitations, 
to cultivate the soil to some extent, and to raise their own 
stock. The first must be effected, as far as practicable, 
by stationing small bodies of troops in the principal set- 
tlements. The second can only be accomplished by the 
permanent establishment of a strong force within the In- 
dian country. To do this, I should answer that, for 
present service, the lowest figure at which this force can 
be put is 2200 (two thousand two hundred) effective men ; 
of whom, at least, 1400 (fourteen hundred) should be 
mounted. 

The question may, perhaps, be more satisfactorily an- 
swered by an illustration of the mode of warfare and 
pillage pursued by the Indians against whom the troops 
are to act, and a description of the country in which they 
are to operate, premising that the tribes above named 
(independently of the Comanches) count from four thou- 
sand five hundred to five thousand warriors. If we take 
Santa Fe, the seat of government and principal depot of 
munitions, as the central point, then the northern line of 
posts, for defence or protection, may be drawn through 
Abiquiu, on the northwest ; Taos, Hayado, and Mora, on 
the north, to Las Vegas on the north-cast. These are all 

important and thriving settlements ; but eacli one is sepa- 
45 21 



530 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

rated from the next by rugged mountain regions of from 
twenty to forty-five miles in width, running back into 
the Indian country, and thus aifording from the latter 
easy and concealed approaches on the flanks of all of 
them. For the protection of life, of the crops, of the 
working animals, and all property immediately around 
the homesteads of these people, a small force at each of 
the points named is considered sufficient. But the prin- 
cipal wealth of the people is in their flocks and herds ; 
and these must be sent (particularly in winter) into nar- 
row mountain glades, affording fine pasturage, at the dis- 
tance of from five to twenty-five miles from the settlements, 
where they are left for months at a time under charge of 
a few simple and unarmed shepherds. Here they are an 
easy prey to the Utahs and Jicarilla Apaches, who, crawl- 
ing upon the listless shepherds, shoot them with arrows 
to prevent their carrying information, and then drive off" 
the stock with impunity ; or, if a shepherd, escaping, 
brings intelligence to the nearest military post, experience 
has shown that the pursuit is almost always fruitless. 

The other line of settlement that should be occupied, is 
from Santa Fe southward, along the valley of the Rio 
Grande, to El Paso. Here small garrisons at Albuquerque, 
(or Bernallio,) Cibolletta, Socorro, (or twenty-seven miles 
below, opposite Valverde,) Don' Aila, and El Paso, 
(or San Elizario,) would, in the same way, give security 
to the homesteads, but nothing more. The only way in 
which a military force can be advantageously and effec- 
tively employed to put an end to Indian spoliations in 
New Mexico, is to post them, not in our settlements, or 
on our borders, but in the heart of the Indian country. 
And here they must be in sufficient strength to awe the 
Indians — to punish them in their strongholds for the 
off*ences they commit beyond their own boundaries. Three 
stations of this kind are deemed requisite, viz. : one in 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 531 

the Navajoe country, near the canon of Chi; one in the 
Apache country east, somewhere on the eastern slope of 
the Sacramento Mountains, where water, grass, and tim- 
ber, of excellent quality, may be found ; and one in the 
south on the Gila River, or near the old copper mines. 
The latter is a very eligible position. It is a high country, 
with pure air, and possessing all the requisites for the 
establishment of a military post, together with abun- 
dance of game. At the first two posts there should be 
from four hundred and fifty to five hundred men each ; 
at the last, three hundred and fifty. At most of the other 
points named above, a single company would be sufficient. 
On completing the tour of the military posts in this 
Territory, it appears to me that the following would be 
a proper disposition of the troops at this time : 

ProbaWe effec. 
Organization. tive strength. 

Abiquiu, one company of infantry ... 84 75 

Taos, one company of infantry ... 84 75 

Rayado,* two companies of dragoons . . 170 150 

Las Vegas, one company of infantry . . 84 75 

Santa F6, one company of infantry . . 84 75 

Albuquerque, one company of infantry . 84 75 

Cibolletta,''^ one company of dragoons and one 

company of infantry ..... 169 150 

Socorro, one company of dragoons ... 85 75 

Don Ana, one company of dragoons and one com- 
pany of infantry . . . . . . IfiO 150 

El Paso, one company of infantry ... 84 75 

Navajoe country, four companies of dragoons, 
one company of artillery with battery of moun- 
tain howitzer, and one company of infantry . 508 450 
Apache country, five companies of dragoons, and 
one company of artillery with battery of moun- 
tain howitzer . . . . . . 509 450 

Gila River, three companies of dragoons and one 

company of infantry ..... 339 300 

Grand total .... 2,458 2,175 

* Rayado and CiboUetta are positions from which operations may 
be successfully carried into the Indian country. (See Inspection Re- 
ports, Nos. 5 and 7.) 



532 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

Owing to the usual casualties of service, I do not con- 
sider that the average effective strength of companies can 
be safely estimated at more than seventy-five total. 

The following troops are at present in New Mexico : 





Organization. 


Total present 
September 30, 1850. 


7 companies of dragoons . 


595 


334 


2 do. artillery 


. 168 


99 


10 do. infantry . 


840 


554 



1,603 987 

Add to the above one full regiment 
of dragoons or mounted riflemen : 
10 companies of riflemen . 840 (probable strength) 750 

2,443 1,737 

The above total present in New Mexico on the 30th 
of September last, viz., nine hundred and eighty-seven, 
would give only an average of fifty-two total to a com- 
pany. Say, then, that each company is filled to seventy- 
five total, there will be — 

19 companies, at 75 each ........ 1,425 

Add ten companies of rifles, at 75 each .... 750 

This will give a total of . . 2,175 

Thus, one regiment of mounted riflemen in addition to 
the force now in New Mexico, may be considered a suffi- 
cient or necessary military force to secure protection ; but 
this is placing it at the very lowest figure at which it can 
safely be put. 

The nature of the service in this country requires 
mounted troops almost exclusively; the distribution of 
supplies and munitions from the general depots to the 
frontier posts, the frequent visits of staff officers (pay- 
masters, quartermasters, etc.) from post to post in the 
necessary discharge of their duties, the transmittal of or- 
ders and reports of constant occurrence in the usual course 
of service, all require mounted escorts or express riders. 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 533 

The law authorizing the mounting of a portion of the 
infantry regiments would in some measure supply the 
deficiency of cavalry in the organization of the army, but 
there are many objections to this. One alone it is 
sufficient to cite, viz., the increased, expense. This my 
own observation satisfies me will be the result in a few 
years of the adoption of this system. A better one, I 
believe, would be to change the organization of one or 
two of the foot regiments and convert them into mounted 
riflemen. 

Among the advantages of adopting this course in pre- 
ference to raising new regiments, the following may be 
named : — The officers of the infantry in general, particu- 
larly from the rank of captain descending, are fine horse- 
men. Their lives are passed almost entirely on the front- 
iers : hunting is a favorite recreation with them, and a 
majority of them keep their own horses ; they are conse- 
quently good judges of horses, and well skilled in every 
respect in their management and treatment. They would, 
therefore, become at once capable and efficient cavalry 
officers, for they are already well grounded in the tactics. 
Again, the experience of twenty-five years has shown me 
that on an average about one half the infantry soldiers are 
more or less accustomed to horses, and would be at least 
on an equality with dragoon recruits in all that regards 
the horse. The remainder, with some exceptions, (who 
might be transferred to other foot regiments,) would in a 
few months manage their horses sufficiently well for all ser- 
vice on this frontier; whereas they would possess over any 
newly-organized regiments the all-important qualifications 
of discipline and a knowledge of the use of their arms. 

I advance. General, for the consideration of the Depart- 
ment, the proposition to change the organization of one 
or two of the foot regiments; not as an expedient to re- 
move the necessity so loudly calling for an addition to 
45^ 



534 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

the army of one or more new regiments of dragoons or 
mounted riflemen, but because I am persuaded that the 
nature of the service to be required of the army for the 
next ten years will be such as to require that the cavahy 
arm shall greatly predominate in its organization. 

"3. The best means of supplying the troops in New 
Mexico with recruits, horses, and subsistence." 

In order to keep the companies in New Mexico full at 
the present standard, recruiting in the Atlantic and Mid- 
dle States must be chiefly depended upon ; re-enlistment 
will do but little towards it. 

While in this Territory, my attention was requested by 
an officer of the medical department to the subject of the 
enlistment of hospital stewards especially for that office ; 
and I have pleasure in submitting his views, viz., that they 
should be enlisted or employed especially for that duty ; 
that their pay should be increased to that of paymaster's 
clerk. The advantages would be, that they would only be re- 
moved from the hospital at the expiration of their service; 
that the hazard incurred in putting men whose previous 
education has not fitted them for the duty into the hospital 
is very great ; and that by the course recommended, the 
Government would save largely in men, as well as in 
medicines and hospital stores; that the increased pay 
proposed would bring into the service graduates of the 
schools of pharmacy of good character. 

With respect to horses, they cannot be procured of suffi- 
cient size and strength in the Territory. It will, there- 
fore, be necessary to purchase in the Middle States. But 
the horses from Missouri and Illinois, fram which States 
most of the horses now in the Territory have been brought, 
are not found to stand the change of climate as well as 
those from a lower and more temperate latitude, as Ten- 
nessee and Kentucky. All horses, however, even from 
the last-named States, experience more or less the ill 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 535 

with subsistence I had the honor to report on the 14th 
instant. I would only further add, that it was remarked 
to me by Captain Bowman, regimental quartermaster of 
the third infantry, and acting assistant commissary of sub- 
sistence at El Paso, that much expense in transporting 
subsistence across the plains was incurred by packing 
bacouy hard bread, &c., in barrels ; the bacon sides being 
cut into square pieces (the bones were not removed) left 
large interstices in the barrels, and these again leave inter- 
vals in the wagon bodies, by which much space is lost. 
He recommended that square boxes of convenient size, 
and made to fit in the wagon bodies, be used instead of 
barrels ; also that hard bread be baked in square cakes, 
and be packed in similar boxes. I examined the weight of 
some of the barrels (whisky-barrels) used for bread, and 
found they ranged from forty-five to fifty-six pounds, 
while the hard bread contained did not exceed from ninety 
to one hundred and twelve pounds. Boxes would be 
lighter than these barrels, but it is questionable whether 
the bread would be as well preserved. 

There is no reason, however, why all the hard bread 
required for use in New Mexico should not be made there, 
and for this purpose it would be well to send out one or 
two competent bakers. 

" 4. The probable number of inhabitants of New 
Mexico — Americans, Mexicans, and Pueblo Indians; 
also the number of each class within its limits whilst a 
territory of Mexico.'^ 

I have answered this query in my report of the 15th 
July last as fully, I believe, as I could possibly now, by 
going over the same ground again. 

1 am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Geo. a. McCall, 
Major-General R. Jones, Inspector- General. 

Adjutant- General U. S. A., Waskingto7i City, D.C. 



536 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 

[Alter completing the inspection of the military posts 
enumerated in the last preceding letter, the writer returned 
to New Orleans by way of San Antonio, and thence to Phil- 
adelphia. In 1851 he was ordered to make a tour of inspec- 
tion of the posts on the Pacific slope in California and Ore- 
gon. Having completed that tour, and returned to Phil- 
adelphia, he remained ivaiting orders till April 1853. During 
that time his health had become much impaired, the result 
of long exposure in malarious regions ; and at the time the 
order was received, he was too feeble to undertake the ardu- 
ous journey required of him.] 

Philadelphia, April 22, 1853. 

To the Adjt. Genl. U. S. Army. 

Sir: — I had the honor to receive, yesterday, Special 
Orders, No. 11, directing me to make an inspection of the 
9th Military Department, and I immediately acknowledge 
the receipt of the Order. 

I have now to state that my health is not such as to 
authorize my undertaking this important duty, with the 
prospect of being able fully to discharge it to my own 
satisfaction or to the best interests of the service. I there- 
fore respectfully tender the resignation of my commission 
of Inspector- General, and request it may be laid before 
the President of the United States for his acceptance. 

The regret I might entertain in offering my resignation 
at this juncture is removed by the conviction that the 
office will be filled by one more competent. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

Geo. a. McCall. 



Headquarters of the Army, "I 
New York, April 23, 1853. J 

Dear Sir: — The General-in-Chief [Gen. Winfield Scott] 
has desired me to express to you his sense of the loss the army 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 537 

will sustain by your withdrawal from it. I cannot better do 
so than by quoting the language used by him, in forwarding 
the tender of your commission, as Inspector-General of the 
Army, to the Secretary of AVar : — 

" Herewith I forward for your consideration Colonel 
McCall's tender of his commission as Inspector-General of 
the Army. 

" If the tender be accepted, the public service will lose a 
highly valuable and distinguished officer." 

Happy in being the medium of communicating the above 
expression by its Chief of the sentiments of the Army, 
I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, 

Schuyler Hamilton, 
Capt. by Bt. A. D. G. 
To Col. Geo. A. McCall, 

Ins. Genl. U. S. Army. 



[The resignation was accepted in compliance with the reit- 
erated request of Colonel McCall. Thus terminated his con- 
nection with the service in which the better part of his life 
had been passed. The severing of the tie was like the mortal 
struggle, when 

" Nature's ties decay, and duty, love, and action fade away.' 

Reader, farewell. 

*' Half yet rethains unsung; but narrow bound within the visible 
diurnal sphere." — Milton.'] 



538 LETTERS FROM THE FRONTIERS, 



NOTE. 

Through the kindness of Dr. D. G. Brhiton of Philadel- 
phia, the author has received from Professor T. EotM-ock, 
the following Note, together with an extract from Bartram's 
Travels in Florida, giving an interesting account of a Float- 
ing Plant, Pistia spathulata, which is in all probability the 
same as that found in Orange Lake and described on the 
preceding page, 197. 

Philadelphia, Jan. 13, 1868. 
Dear Doctor: — I've been looking up that floating puzzle. I in- 
cline to regard it as the ^^ Pistia spathulata,^^ 3Iichx. Bartram says of 
the same plant, pp. 88, 89 of his Travels: " I set sail early, and saw, this 
day, vast quantities of the Pistia stratiotes (same as P. spathulata), 
a very singular aquatic plant. It associates in large communities, or 
floating islands ; some of them a quarter of a mile in extent, and are 
impelled to and fro as the wind and current may direct. They are 
first produced on, or close to the shore, in eddy water, where they 
gradually spread themselves into the river, forming most delightful 
green plains, several miles in length, and in some places a quarter of 
a mile in breadth. These plants are nourished and kept in their 
proper horizontal situation, by means of long, fibrous roots which 
descend from the nether centre downwards towards the muddy bottom. 
Each plant, when full-grown, bears a general resemblance to a well- 
known garden lettuce, though the leaves are more nervous, of a firmer 
contexture, and of a full-green color inclining to yellow. It vegetates 
on the surface of the still stagnant water, and in its natural situation 
is propagated from seed only. In great storms of wind and rain, 
when the river is suddenly raised, large masses of these floating phxins 
are broken loose, and driven from the shores into the wide water, 
where they have the appearance of islets, and float about, until 
broken to pieces by the winds and waves ; or driven again to shore, 
on some distant coast of the river, where they again find footing, 
and there, forming new colonies, spread and extend themselves 
again, until again broken up and dispersed as before. These floating 
islands present a very entertaining prospect; for although we behold 
an assemblage of the primary productions of nature only, yet the 
imagination seems to remain in suspense and doubt ; as in order to 
enliven the delusion and form a most picturesque appearance, we see 
not only the flowery plants, clumps of shrubs, old weather-beaten 



BY GEORGE A. McCALL. 539 

trees "hoary and barbed with the long moss waving from their snags, 
but we also see them completely inhabited and alive, with crocodiles, 
serpents, frogs, otters, crows, herons, curlews, jack-daws, etc., there 
seems, in short, nothing wanted but the appearance of a wigwam and 
a canoe to complete the scene." 

The above is Bartram. 

There is a " Tulumhium luteum" but as it has Rhisomata, which im- 
ply solid ground to hide in, I do not think it can be the plant. I can 
further iind no instance recorded of its forming floating islands. 

Yours truly, 

T. ROTHROCK, 

Junior of Pa. Med. Drpt. 

P. S. — Bartram tells us : " Having gratified my curiosity at this gen- 
eral breeding-place and nursery of crocodiles, I continued my voyage 
up the river without being greatly disturbed by them ; in my way I 
observed islets or floating fields of the bright-green Pistia decorated 
with other amphibious plants, as '^ Senecio Jacobia,^' "Persicaria am- 
phibia," '^Coreopsis bidens," ^^ Hydrocotilefluitans," and many others of 
less note." 



THE END. 






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